Airdrie United 1 Dunfermline 2
Tuesday, 17th Feb 2009Pars see off Airdrie to meet Aberdeen. Holmes scores in 102 seconds. Pen equaliser in 14. Bayne scores a beaut of a 74th minute winner.
Airdrie United were without Kevin McDonald who was sent off on Saturday at Dumfries. The Pars had to change their winning team from Saturday since David Graham was cup tied at Hamilton. Rory Loy took his place with Calum Woods and Graham Bayne returning to the bench.
A sizeable travelling support welcomed the all yellow Pars on to a remarkably good looking surface. The only problem would be the heavily sanded area in the goalmouths.
As starts go it was perfect for Dunfermline and for Graeme HOLMES returning to his former club for the first time. The midfielder latched on to a lay off back out of the Airdrie box from Nick Phinn and he released an unstoppable shot that soared into the top left with just 102 seconds on the clock.
That had the Dunfermline faithful on their feet and the team played with the confidence that an early lead brings. Airdrie struggled going forward and Paul Gallacher was virtually redundant for the first ten minutes. Steven Bell forced a save out of Stephen Robertson after a fine individual run cutting in from the right. There were appeals for an indirect free kick as the ball rebounded off the keeper and back to him off a defender.
Calum Murray then handed Airdrie a really soft penalty as Joe Cardle brushed into Greg Ross on the left side of the box. Scott McLAUGHLIN took the spot kick and sent it into the top right to put the tie all square again in 14 minutes.
Dunfermline went straight back at their hosts with Bell threatening with a header and then Kirk sending a Scott Wilson header over the same crossbar. In 20th minute a Holmes corner from the right swung straight under the crossbar but Robertson rose out of his sandpit to palm away the danger.
Five minutes later Airdrie won a corner on the right when Greg Shields blocked a Paul Di Giacomo shot but the corner was overstruck bringing no further danger. The Pars went straight back into attack with Bell bursting through on the right side to deliver a fine cut back for Kirk but he failed to connect and Airdrie were reprieved.
A 32nd corner after Gallacher had turned a powerful Di Giacomo effort around his post, dropped to Stephen McDougall on the far left and the Pars keeper pulled off another good stop to deny Airdrie. Calum Woods then replaced Greg Ross who had been given a torrid time by Cardle but for several more minutes the Fifers were forced back.
Di Giacomo looked as though he was going to waltz through the Pars defence and luck was on the Pars side and Cardle screwed up in front of goal. Two long range efforts from 30 and then 35 yards from Kirk and Loy kept Robertson alerted but the keeper earned yellow for arriving ten yards into the Pars half to complain about a challenge on Cardle that left the increasingly unpopular winger writhing on the deck. In no time the Airdrie man was up again to continue.
It had been an eventful half that had kept the travelling fans very vocal but at the break neither side had any advantage.
Airdrie United 1 Dunfermline 1
Aware that Aberdeen 3-0 up at half time would more than likely be the opponents in the next round, Dunfermline were back out sharp waiting on their opponents until Phinn and Kirk took the restart. The visitors defence was the first to be required however when McDougall`s cross was headed out by Shields to McLaughlin but the central defender blocked that too.
A Holmes cut back in 52 minutes was switched by Phinn to Kirk but his attempt was way too high. At the other end a Matt Hazely corner kick caused no problems but Jim McIntyre`s men were finding it hard to keep the ball out of their half. They looked slow on the break and lacked invention.
On the hour Rory Loy gave the Fifers some hope with a solo run that he fired low for the keeper to take at his ankles.Two minutes later Bell and Holmes exchanged passes to tee up Thomson with a long range shot but the keeper was well placed to hold. That was to be Nipper`s last involvement, he was suffering from a first half kick in the calf that he could feel tightening so Graham Bayne was then introduced.
The goal that the Pars were striving for almost arrived in 65 minutes with the travelling support up on their feet in anticipation. Loy broke into the box and went right to square the ball eight yards out but Kirk had got too far in front of the ball and the chance had evaporated. That was followed by a dangerously flighted Holmes free kick awarded after Bayne was chopped down by Marc Smyth. Robertson only just managed to grab the ball in front of the inrushing Steven Bell.
Airdrie`s 71st minute corner was headed away by Woods and then Bayne. Then three minutes later the goal that we had all been waiting for and it was super sub Graham BAYNE. He took the knock down from Shields and launched a shot from the edge of the box that looked in all the way to the top right corner.
Airdrie gaffer Kenny Black made a double substitution and Jamie Mole replaced Andy Kirk. The sub could have finished the contest ten minutes from time but he pulled his effort from the right side of the box wide left.
Robertson stopped another Mole attempt and David Nixon hit a great chance for the Diamonds wide in 89th minute. Three minutes of added time came and went and the final whistle cued celebration both on and off the park.
In the end Dunfermline won the tie and for the first time in more than 80 years knocked an Airdrie team out of the Scottish Cup. Aberdeen will be the opponents in the Quarter Final and of course there will be a warm East End Park welcome for the return of the two Jimmies. The Quarter Final will be played on Saturday 7th March.
AIRDRIE UNITED: Stephen Robertson; Willie McLachlan, Scott McLaughlin, Matt Hazely, Marc Smyth, David Nixon, Steven McDougall (Keith Waddell 78), Stephen McKenna, Joe Cardle; Paul Di Giacomo, Simon Lynch (Stephen McGuire 78)
SUBS NOT USED: Lee Hollis, Michael Brown, Darren Smith
SCORERS: McLaughlin (14)
YELLOW CARD: Robertson (41), Smyth (66), Di Giacomo (76), McLachlan (90+3)
DUNFERMLINE: Paul Gallacher, Greg Ross (Calum Woods 33), Greg Shields, Scott Wilson (c), Austin McCann; Scott Thomson (Graham Bayne 65); Steven Bell, Nick Phinn, Graeme Holmes, Rory Loy, Andy Kirk (Jamie Mole 75).
SUBS NOT USED: Scott Muirhead, Callum Reidford (GK)
SCORERS: Holmes (2), Bayne (74)
YELLOW CARD: Thomson (45+1), McCann (80).
REFEREE: Calum Murray
WEATHER: Dry 10°C
ATTENDANCE 1772
NEXT MATCH: (home) First Division v Ross County
Saturday 21st February 2009, kick off 3.00pm
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Sunday, 15th Feb 2009Dunfermline have only knocked Airdrie out of the Scottish Cup only once and that was over 80 years ago!
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Home wins over Cove Rangers (3-0) and Spartans (2-1) earned Airdrie United a place in the Fifth Round of the Homecoming Scotland Scottish Cup. For the Pars their home win over Clyde is the only Scottish Cup action required so far in this season`s competition.
Dunfermline have only knocked Airdrie out of the Scottish Cup once and that was over 80 years ago! Two of the six pairings have gone to replays and that solitary win was 2-1 at East End Park in 1927. The 1994 Cup ties saw Andy Tod score in both matches but the replay was lost 3-1.
Then in 2006 it was the first ever meeting against the new Airdrie United club but what looked a relatively comfortable home draw turned up to be a nightmare for the SPL club.
Despite scoring three goals Dunfermline were dumped out of the Tennents Scottish Cup by the SFL Division One side. Two goals up at the half way stage in the first half the Pars should be seen it through after that but the Lanarkshire team came storming back. Their penalty to make it 3-3 should never have been given but there was nothing that could have been done to stop their 92nd minute knock out winner.
This has been the only win for the Diamonds in their five fixtures against the Pars. Only Greg Shields and Scott Thomson can survive from the 2006 game to play for Dunfermline on Saturday. The teams back in 2006 lined up as follows:-
Dunfermline: Allan McGregor; Greg Shields; Jamie McCunnie, Andy Tod, Scott Thomson (Iain Campbell 75), Aaron Labonte; Lee Makel, Darren Young, Gary Mason; Derek Young, Noel Hunt (Bartosz Tarachulski 91)
Airdrie United: Stephen Robertson; Stephen McKenna, Neil McGowan (Steven McDougall 72), Alan McManus, Paul Lovering; Martin Hardie, Stevie Docherty, Stephen McKeown, Bryan Prunty, Brian McPhee, Willie McLaren
Airdrie keeper Stephen Robertson is one of five possible Airdrie survivors and he recalled the famous win for the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser:-
"The feeling when we won was unbelievable," he said. "That was probably one of the better days we had that season. At 3-2 down with a minute left, realistically your chances are over but we managed to pull it out of the bag.
"Everyone was buzzing after the game and you could see the win meant everything. The dressing room after the game was one of the best I have ever been in."
A place in the quarter-finals is at stake for the winners this weekend and Robertson reckons the Pars tie offers Airdrie a genuine chance of advancing.
"We know we are only a couple of games away from Hampden and there is a great chance for us to progress. There hasn`t been much between the teams this season but this time there is not the pressure of having to pick up league points."
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Previous Scottish Cup Ties v Airdrie | ||
| 07/01/06 | H | 3-4 |
| 18/02/95 | A | 0-2 |
| 08/02/94 | H | 1-3 |
| 29/01/94 | A | 1-1 |
| 19/02/55 | A | 0-7 |
| 21/01/31 | A | 1-6 |
| 17/01/31 | H | 2-2 |
| 05/02/27 | H | 2-1 |
Teams last time out
DUNFERMLINE (v Partick Thistle): Paul Gallacher, Greg Ross (Rory Loy 56), Greg Shields, Scott Wilson (c), Austin McCann; Scott Thomson; Steven Bell, Nick Phinn (Jamie Mole 80), Graeme Holmes, David Graham (Scott Muirhead 69); Andy Kirk.
SUBS NOT USED: Alex Burke, Callum Reidford.
AIRDRIE UNITED (v QOS): Stephen Robertson; Willie McLachlan, Matt Hazely, Kevin McDonald (sent off 41), Marc Smyth, Steven McDougall (Michael Brown 64), Stephen McKenna, Joe Cardle (Scott McLaughlin 46); Paul Di Giacomo, Simon Lynch.
SUBS NOT USED: Collier, Stephen McGuire.
Referee will be Calum Murray.
Airdrie`s ground is the highest in the Scottish Football League and as the grip of severe winter weather appeasrs to have relented let`s hope that the tie can be played on Tuesday night.
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