Dunfermline 1 Falkirk 2

Saturday, 22nd Apr 2017

Ladbrokes Championship: Clark and Hopkirk start in place of Moffat and Reilly. Nicky Clark (35) 1-0: Aaron Muirhead (54 pen) 1-1: Lewis Martin red card (58): Nathan Austin (70) 1-2

Dunfermline were comfortably ahead before a hotly disputed decision to award Falkirk a penalty changed the whole momentum and ultimate outcome of this game.

The third last league fixture of the season pitched Dunfermline against their long time rivals, Falkirk at East End Park. The visitors arrived sitting second in the league and in the best possible position for the play offs. Their objective was to maintain that second spot but the Pars slimmest chance of making the play offs themselves meant that they had to win this Derby match.

Dunfermline manager Allan Johnston made two changes from the starting eleven at Dumbarton the previous Saturday, Nicky Clark and David Hopkirk selected ahead of Michael Moffat and Gavin Reilly.

Falkirk were unchanged from their draw against St Mirren and they lined up to play into the sun as Clark got the match underway. First chance came the Pars way right on three minutes when an Andy Geggan cross into the box was headed goalwards by Clark but Robbie Thomson held with comparative ease.

Jason Talbot headed away a Luke Leahy cross and then Craig Sibbald was on the end of a delivery from the right but sent his header into the hands of the Pars keeper, Sean Murdoch.

Luca Gasparotto cleared a cross in from Clark before in 13 minutes a good run by Paul McMullan to the right corner of the Falkirk box saw him cut the ball across the penalty box for Clark to head on target. Thomson was at full stretch to his right to hold.

Misplaced and intercepted passes cost Dunfermline possession and for a spell Falkirk took the ball into the final third but they too failed to capitalise on their play. A break from Hopkirk set up Clark from the cut back but he delayed his release and got closed down, as did McMullan in his attempt to latch on to the second ball. In the same attack Hopkirk did release a 21st minute shot and there were appeals for hand ball as it seemed to break off Gasparotto.

Miller and Leahy linked up on the left to force a 27th minute corner but Clark headed away when James Craigan sent the set piece in. McMullan broke on the counter and there were groans as he was closed out before he could lay the ball off for Clark in front of goal.

Sibbald`s late tackle on Geggan earned the Falkirk no.10 a lecture but the free kick did not cause the Bairns any difficulty. Then with ten minutes to the interval Dunfermline took the lead when CLARK from inside the box on the right, swept the ball across And in at the far post. 1-0

Once ahead the Fifers looked confident and very capable of adding another. Hopkirk was offside as McCabe chipped the ball over the Bairns defence, and then there was a slick move involving Higginbotham, Clark and Geggan but the skipper`s final touch just took the ball too far and a goal kick followed.

In 39 minutes McMullan sprinted towards the right corner flag to cut the ball back for Higginbotham but his effort was rising all the way and cleared the bar. Mark Kerr collected the match`s first yellow card for a crude tackle on Geggan before a McCabe shot was headed back out to Higginbotham whose shot was again high.

Falkirk tried a shot from distance with Sibbald`s attempt being held by Murdoch. So the Pars went in with the narrowest of half time leads. Only one corner a piece in the first half and six Pars shots to Falkirk`s four.

Half time: Dunfermline 1 Falkirk 0

The second half commenced fairly quietly but within eight minutes East End Park was a cauldron of controversy. Murdoch dived forward to palm behind a fairly tame low and bouncing shot from outside the box on the right side. As the keeper successfully pushed away the ball sub Myles Hippolyte went over the keeper and was awarded a penalty. That brought an extremely strong reaction from the Pars players who clearly felt the decision an injustice.

Murdoch and Higginbotham were yellow carded for their protests before Aaron MUIRHEAD stepped up to send his 55th minute penalty low to the keeper`s left. 1-1

With injuries, Murdoch and Morris were both replaced before the restart by David Hutton and Lewis Martin but the 21 year old defender was shown a red card within three minutes. The subs challenge on Baird on the edge of the box was deemed enough for the increasingly unpopular Mr Duncan to produce red.

Nat Wedderburn dropped back to centre half as Craigen immediately hit the left post. Falkirk and their vocal travelling support behind the Fifers goal were well up for a second goal and they were duly delivered that in 70th minute when a Leahy cross from the left picked out AUSTIN who rose to head the ball into the Fifers net. 1-2

Two minutes later Geggan rose high to get on the end of a cross and unluckily sent his header over the Falkirk bar. Dunfermlne stepped up their pressure on the visitors goal with Hopkirk hammering a shot on target from 15 yards that felled Leahy and then Ashcroft headed wide in 76 minutes. Thomson stopped another well struck effort from Hopkirk in 83 minutes.

The ten men tried hard to get it back on level terms but there was to be no late equaliser. The final whistle was greeted with a barrage of boos for the match officials who spent a considerable time dismissing the attempts of Allan Johnston and his players to discuss his decisions.

The defeat removed any chance of making the play offs but Dunfermline remain in sixth place equal on points with Queen of the South. St Mirren`s defeat at Tannadice also removes any possibility of being dragged into a play off at the bottom.

DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch (David Hutton 55): Andy Geggan (c), Callum Morris (Lewis Martin 55), Lee Ashcroft, Jason Talbot: Kallum Higginbotham, Nat Wedderburn, Rhys McCabe, Paul McMullan: Nicky Clark, David Hopkirk
SUBS NOT USED: Michael Paton, Michael Moffat, Gavin Reilly, Ryan Williamson, Joe Cardle.
SCORERS: Clark (35)
YELLOW CARD: Murdoch (53), Higginbotham (53), Hopkirk (88)
RED CARD: Martin (58)

FALKIRK: Robbie Thomson: Aaron Muirhead, Luca Gasparetto, Peter Grant, Luke Leahy: Tom Taiwo (Joseph McKee 83), James Craigen, Craig Sibbald, Mark Kerr (c) (Myles Hippolyte 51): John Baird, Lee Miller (Nathan Austin 67)
SUBS NOT USED: Fraser Aird, Bob McHugh, Lewis Kidd, Daniel Rogers (GK)
SCORERS: Muirhead (54 pen.), Austin (70)
YELLOW CARD: Kerr (40), Muirhead (75)

REFEREE: Gavin Duncan
WEATHER: Bright 13C
ATTENDANCE 5076

NEXT MATCH: Ladbrokes Championship (home) v Morton, Saturday 29th April, kick off 3.00pm at East End Park

50/50 half time draw ticket was worth £1000. Congratulations to the winner with ticket number 92739


Views : 10,177

Related Stories

• Preview Falkirk
• Dumbarton 0 Dunfermline 2
• Dundee United 1 Dunfermline 0
• DAFC Lovin` it with McDonalds

© 2024 ParsTV and Dunfermline Athletic

Check out the Gallery for more photo's -- the images below will scroll through automatically.

Preview Falkirk

Saturday, 22nd Apr 2017

Ladbrokes Championship: Saturday 22nd April 2017, kick off 3.00pm at East End Park.

Second placed Falkirk are the visitors to East End Park this Saturday.  The Bairns are hoping to keep hold of second place and so make it one less play off match in their attempts to reach the Premier League, seven years after suffering relegation from the top flight. Dunfermline at the other hand seek full points from the final three fixtures in the long shot that Morton do not win more than one point from their games at home to Ayr United and Dundee United and away to Dunfermline.

Dunfermline v Falkirk: The Full League Record
.	P	W	D	L	F	A
At East End Park	46	17	12	17	62	59
At Brockville	36	10	7	19	39	60
At Falkirk Stadium	11	3	2	6	8	12
TOTALS	93	30	21	42	109	131

Dunfermline`s last home win over Falkirk in the final match of the 2010-11 season. It was a celebration for the Pars winning the First Division title with the presentation of the championship trophy and all. What a day and what a night it was and lost in all the excitement was the first home victory over the Bairns since Derek Laing`s winner on 9th October 1993.

Milestones Falkirk (Home)
Last League Victory	07/05/11	. 3-0	. First Div
Last League Defeat	27/03/13	0-2	.First Div
Best League Victory	13/04/66	. 6-1	. Division 1
Worst League Defeat	02/01/52	0-6	.Division 2

Dunfermline have won only three of the last seventeen league meetings with Falkirk, all during the championship winning 2010-2011 season. The Pars have won only one of the last eleven league matches against Falkirk at East End Park.

Last Twelve League Matches v Falkirk
04/02/17	A	0-2	L
26/12/16	H	1-1	D
15/10/16	A	1-2	L
27/03/13	H	0-2	L
16/02/13	A	0-1	L
26/12/12	H	0-1	L
06/10/12	A	2-2	D
07/05/11	H	3-0	W
12/03/11	A	2-1	W
15/02/11	H	1-1	D
07/08/10	A	1-0	W
19/05/07	H	0-3	L

Last League Meeting at East End Park
Boxing Day 2016
Dunfermline 1 Falkirk 1

Andy Geggan, John Herron and Joe Cardle returned for the Pars but they found themselves a goal behind after just ten minutes. It was with their first serious attack of the match that Falkirk scored. Tony Gallacher got through on the Pars right and cut back a perfect ball for Myles HIPPOLYTE to slide in. 0-1

The equaliser came from the penalty spot in 59th minute. A Geggan cross was overhit and Cardle gathered on the left. Joe`s cross hit Taiwo and the referee Euan Anderson pointed to the spot with the Bairns complaining their man was outside the box. Rhys McCABE accepted the responsibility for the penalty kick and netted to the right giving Rogers no chance. 1-1

Subs Michael Paton and Farid El Alagui were thrown on as well but it was Falkirk who created the most danger but nothing that the Pars defence could not deal with. In the end it was one point a piece, enough to take the Fifers back into seventh place on goal difference.

DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch: Andy Geggan (c), Lewis Martin, Lee Ashcroft, Jason Talbot: Paul McMullan, John Herron, Rhys McCabe, Joe Cardle (Michael Paton 85): Nicky Clark (Farid El Alagui 87), Michael Moffat (Gavin Reilly 81)
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Williamson, Callum Fordyce, Nat Wedderburn, David Hutton (GK)

FALKIRK: Daniel Rogers: Aaron Muirhead, Luca Gasparetto, Peter Grant, Tony Gallagher, Tom Taiwo (John Rankin 84) Craig Sibbald: Mark Kerr (c), Miles Hippolyte (Bob McHugh 75), John Baird, Scott Shepherd (Lee Miller 84)
SUBS NOT USED: Paul Watson, Lewis Kidd, Luke Leahy, Deiz Dogan Mehmet (GK).

Dunfermline .	Falkirk
Current League Position
5	2
League Points
42	53
Goal Difference
+1	+16
Last 6-Match League Form
LWDWLW	WLLWDD
Home / Away League Record
P16, W5, D7, L4	P16, W6, D6, L4

Falkirk have only lost two of their last twelve league games. . In all competitions, Dunfermline have lost only three of their last 24 matches.

.Form last six matches
. . Dunfermline			.	. Falkirk
. Dumbarton (A)	W	2-0		. St Mirren (H)	D	2-2
. Dundee United . (A)	.L	.0-1		. Dundee United . (A)	.D	.1-1
. Raith Rovers (H)	W	1-0		. Raith Rovers (H)	W	1-0
. Hibernian (H)	D	1-1		. Hibernian (A)	L	0-1
. Morton (A)	W	1-0		. Morton (H)	L	0-1
. Ayr United (H)	.L	.0-1		. Ayr United (A)	.W	.4-1

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Dumbarton): Sean Murdoch: Andy Geggan (c), Callum Morris, Lee Ashcroft, Jason Talbot: Kallum Higginbotham, Nat Wedderburn, Rhys McCabe, Paul McMullan: Michael Moffat (Michael Paton 81), Gavin Reilly (David Hopkirk 70)
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Williamson, Joe Cardle, Lewis Martin, Lewis Spence, David Hutton (GK)

FALKIRK (v St Mirren): Robbie Thomson: Aaron Muirhead, Luca Gasparetto, Peter Grant, Luke Leahy: Tom Taiwo, James Craigen, Craig Sibbald, Mark Kerr (Nathan Austin 67): John Baird (Fraser Aird 67) Lee Miller (Bob McHugh 77).
SUBS NOT USED: Tony Gallagher, Miles Hippolyte, Scott Shepherd, Daniel Rogers (GK).

Referee for this match will be Gavin Duncan who last officiated a Pars match on 8th March 2016 at home to Albion Rovers.

Views : 7,586

Related Stories

• Dumbarton 0 Dunfermline 2
• Dundee United 1 Dunfermline 0
• Dunfermline 1 Raith Rovers 0
• Managers post Dumbarton