Dunfermline 0 Forfar Athletic 0
Saturday, 12th Apr 2014Ross Millen, Callum Morris, Ross Forbes, Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Lawrence Shankland out. Ryan Williamson, Lewis Martin, Alex Whittle, Ryan Thomson and Allan Smith in.
MATCH PICTURES
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Dunfermline entertained Dick Campbell`s Forfar Athletic in the penultimate home fixture of their League One season. For the second successive home game, Jim Jefferies made five changes from the team he fielded the previous Saturday. Ross Millen, Callum Morris, Ross Forbes, Faissal El Bakhtaoui and Lawrence Shankland went out of the side that lost 2-0 at Airdrie to make way for Ryan Williamson, Lewis Martin, Alex Whittle, Ryan Thomson and Allan Smith.
Dick Campbell was without ex Kelty Hearts player Neil McCabe and Mark Fotheringham while he chose to put Omar Kader on the bench. Gavin Swankie, Darren Dods and Jamie McCluskey started for the Loons.
The teams changed ends before the kick off that Smith and Thomson took. Early play was all in the Forfar half towards the McCathie Stand. Williamson was spilled on the right touchline by Dale Hilson but that brought not reaction from referee Greg Aitken though there was plenty from the sidelines.
Five minutes into the game Stephen Husband tried a shot from 35 yards out but that was always swerving outside the right post. Then just four minutes later Danny Grainger lobbed a free kick into the Forfar box that the defence cleared and Andy Geggan tried an early shot but was wildly wide and right of target.
In 21 minutes Darren Dods cut out a tricky cross from Williamson to earn the Pars a corner on the right and Martin came perilously close to placing his head on Grainger`s delivery. Two minutes later a Grainger long throw caused indecision in the Forfar six yard box and when the ball reached Smith unluckily he sent his shot outside the far post.
A Josh Falkingham shot in 26 minutes was deflected right for another corner but Forfar got that one away.Geggan and Smith continued the push forward but it was Grainger who forced the corner on the left. Falkingham had real problems getting the ball to sit still in the wind but when he eventually crossed into the six yard box Martin narrowly failed in his efforts to touch the ball home.
After 34 minutes Geggan stuck the ball in the net but Thomson had been offside when he cut the ball back. A Whittle cross was headed behind for another corner down in front of the tunnel. When the ball came over Geggan seemed to have done enough but the ball was cleared off the line.
Falkingham kept up the pressure sending an inviting ball to the left post but Whittle`s header failed to go towards goal. When Smith and Thomson could not get in a shot, it was a Falkingham shot that was deflected behind in 43 minutes. It had been a first half with plenty of Dunfermline chances but sadly none that hit the net.
Half time: Dunfermline 0 Forfar Athletic 0
Forfar got the second half underway and the Pars first opportunity to alter the scoreline fell to Williamson after Thomson sent the ball through the six yard box but the right back`s effort hit the sidenetting. At the other end Hilson had a 52nd minute chance but smashed the ball into the McCathie Stand.
Five minutes later there was then a massive let off the Pars after Hilson got the better of Martin but surprised Kader by squeezing in the cross and the Forfar sub remarkably failed to get the ball down off his chest to score.
Then Kader hit crossbar for Forfar and a fantastic double save from Scully kept the score level. In 64 minutes another chance fell to Williamson from a Whittle cross but the youngster pulled his shot across the face of goal to go behind at the left post. The visitors were definitely getting more and more into the match and a Swankie shot from distance then dipped wickedly in the wind forcing Scully to fist away.
Geggan controlled a Whittle cross in 70 minutes but his shot got closed down. Shaun Byrne then replaced Stephen Husband and two Whittle crosses came close to making the difference. The first was just too high for Thomson and the second dropped to Falkingham but he failed to shoot on target. Whittle took advantage of a slip on the right side of the Forfar defence but his cross was really far too firm for sub Ross Forbes to control.
A Forfar corner was met by the head of Chris Templeman but Chris Duggan missed the chance to convert the knock down. At the other end a Forbes free kick ended on the roof of the net. When Falkingham next picked out Whittle on the left expectations were again raised but the cross disappointingly sailed over the crossbar.
In the second minute of added time Dick Campbell strayed on to the pitch to protest about Scully`s challenge on his son Ross but there was to be no late penalty for Forfar. Dunfermline clinched a point that coupled with Stranraer`s 4-1 defeat at Arbroath assured the Pars second place in League One.
MATCH PICTURES
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Goodfellow (GK), Ross Millen, Faissal El Bakhtaoui, Lawrence Shankland
YELLOW CARD: Geggan (63)
FORFAR ATHLETIC: Darren Hill; Gary Fusco, Stuart Malcolm, Darren Dods, Mark Baxter; Jamie McCluskey (Omar Kader 43), Gavin Swankie, James Dale, Dale Hilson (Gavin Malin 89); Chris Duggan (Ross Campbell 82), Chris Templeman.
SUBS NOT USED: Ross Salmon (GK), Paul McLellan, Marvin Andrews, Keith Gibson.
YELLOW CARD: Swankie (11), Malcolm (53), Fusco (60)
REFEREE: Greg Aitken
WEATHER: Sunny, windy 12°C
ATTENDANCE 2364
NEXT MATCH: SPFL League One (away) v Ayr United
Saturday 19th April 2014, kick off 3.00pm
HALF TIME DRAW: Ticket no. 79177 won £694
Views : 4,163
ParsTV Highlights To Follow for First team matches.
Check out the Gallery for more photo's -- the images below will scroll through automatically.
Preview Forfar Athletic
Wednesday, 9th Apr 2014Dunfermline Athletic`s penultimate home league fixture of the season means that they welcome Forfar Athletic to East End Park on Saturday
Dunfermline Athletic`s penultimate home league fixture of the season means that they welcome Forfar Athletic to East End Park on Saturday. With the Pars already qualified for the end of season play offs memories of matches against Forfar go back to the dramatic 6-1 win after extra time in the First Division Play offs last season. This season there has been a win, a draw and a defeat in the three games against Dick Campbell`s side.
| Milestones Forfar Athletic (home) | |||
| Last Victory |
11/05/13 |
First Div Play Off | |
| Last Defeat |
28/09/83 |
1-2 |
Second Division |
| Best Victory |
|
7-2 |
Div Two* |
| Worst Defeat |
|
2-4 |
Div Two* |
| *Pre league reconstruction | |||
This will be the 63rd league meeting of the teams and Dunfermline have won 38 to Forfar`s 16. Eight have been drawn including the last game at East End Park in December. Forfar have won only three times in Dunfermline; in seasons 1922-23, 1950-51 and 1983-84 - all in the Scottish Second Division.
| Dunfermline | Forfar Athletic |
| Current League Position | |
| 2 | 6 |
| League Form last six results | |
| LDLLWL | WDWWLL |
| League Points | |
| 57 | 42 |
| Goal Difference | |
| +13 | -7 |
| Home / Away League Record | |
| P16, W9, D2, L5 | P15, W6, D2, L7 |
League Form
| League Form this season Home / Away | ||||||
| Dunfermline |
|
Forfar Athletic | ||||
| Brechin City | W | 2-1 | Airdrieonians |
L |
1-5 | |
| East Fife |
L |
Stranraer | W | 4-0 | ||
| Stenhousemuir |
D |
0-0 | Ayr United | W | 3-2 | |
| Arbroath | W | 3-0 | Arbroath | W | 3-2 | |
| Ayr United | W | 3-0 | East Fife | L | 1-2 | |
| Airdrieonians | L | 0-1 | Brechin City | W | 5-1 | |
Forfar Athletic have won four of their last six away games but they have lost their last two games against teams trying to avoid the relegation play off spot - against Airdrieonians away and East Fife at home. Their form before that was good with away wins over Stranraer (4-0) and Ayr United (3-2). Dunfermline have won just one of their last six games.
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Airdrieonians): Ryan Scully; Ross Millen, Callum Morris, Jonathan Page, Danny Grainger; Josh Falkingham (Alex Whittle 71), Stephen Husband, Andy Geggan (c), Ross Forbes, Faissal El Bakhtaoui (Allan Smith 71), Lawrence Shankland.
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Goodfellow (GK), Shaun Byrne, Lewis Martin, Lewis Spence, Finn Graham.
FORFAR ATHLETIC: (v East Fife): Darren Hill, Stuart Malcolm, Gary Fusco, Mark Baxter, Neil McCabe (Gavin Malin 36), Omar Kader (Gavin Swankie 76), James Dale , Mark Fotheringham, Dale Hilson, Chris Duggan , Chris Templeman (Ross Campbell 83)
SUBS NOT USED: Gavin Thomson, Ross Salmon, Paul McLelland, Keith Gibson
Referee will be Greg Aitken.
Come on ye Pars!
Views : 4,331
