Dunfermline 0 Hamilton Academical 0
Saturday, 25th Sep 2021cinch Championship: Craig Wighton started in place of Kevin O’Hara
Peter Grant made one change for the visit of ninth placed Hamilton - Craig Wighton being preferred to Kevin O’Hara who was on the bench.
Hamilton, making their first league visit since 2013, made two changes with Brian Easton and Kyle Munro dropping to the bench to accommodate Lewis Smith and Shaun Want. The visitors were captained by former Pars striker, Andy Ryan and it was also a return to East End Park for 25 year old Lewis Spence.
Ryan got the match underway with Hamilton attacking the goal in front of the McCathie Stand. They produced the first shot of the match after Kieran Macdonald set up Marley Redfern but his effort from 25 yards out was blocked by Paul Watson who was felled in the process.
Dunfermline almost got the opener in seventh minute. Nikolay Todorov was wide right and he returned the ball for Wighton to fire at goal but the left goalpost kept it out and when Kai Kennedy followed up Want cleared the net bound attempt. From the resultant corner taken on the left by Graham Dorrans, deep to Dan Pybus and then centred for Watson the headed effort went wide right.
Hamilton won a 12th minute corner on the right but in his anxiety to meet the cross Mihai Popescu was blown up for excessive pushing in the six yard box. Accies kept up the pressure with Redfern’s cross being headed into the hands of Owain Fôn Williams by Josh Mullin. A 17th minute free kick was headed out but only as cars as Ryan who cut in from the right to find Mullin and Fon Williams had to palm the stinging effort over his crossbar.
Dunfermline’s 19th minute corner was palmed away by keeper Ryan Fulton and cleared by his defence. Dorrans was shown a yellow card next minute after flooring a defender right in front of the Accies travelling support.
Play was then halted for four minutes after Spence injured himself in a 50/50 challenge with Ryan Dow. The former Pars man tried to hobble off after treatment but crumbled again as he exited the centre circle. Eventually he was helped off and Miko Virtanen came on as the first sub of the afternoon.
With 30 minutes on the clock Todorov exchanged a pass with Wighton and the Bulgarian striker tried a shot from 30 yards that got blocked. Josh Edwards was next to test the Accies defence but his run was halted in the edge of their penalty box.
A Dorrans through ball was caught by Aaron Comrie to cut back for Todorov but his header was deflected behind for a 35th minute corner on the right. Taken short by Edwards to Kennedy, Edwards ran on to the ball to send a swirling left footed shot narrowly wide.
Fulton held from a free kick on the left touchline before Reegan Mimnaugh blocked a Kennedy shot after the on loan Rangers teenager tried his hardest to twist and turn his way through the Hamilton defence.
At the other end Mullin headed over the crossbar when we’ll placed in front of goal. Hamilton had slightly more of the first half possession but there was nothing between the sides at the interval.
Half time: Dunfermline 0 Hamilton Academical 0
Shots on target had been minimal in the first half but Ryan met a cut back to crash an on target shot at Fon Williams in just the third minute of the second period.
Todorov and then Dow tried to break through in the box and the chance ended when Todorov and Want kicked each other in their efforts to connect with the ball.
Dorrans cleared after Mullin delivered another dangerous ball into the middle of the Pars box in 59 minutes. Then next minutes Lewis Smith skimmed the left goalpost with a good attempt from an angle.
After an hour Kevin O’Hara replaced Craig Wighton and immediately forced a corner that Fulton fisted away. Then two minutes later Reece Cole subbed Nikolay Todorov and the play swung back up into the Accies half. O’Hara and then Kennedy had shots blocked and O’Hara just failed to get on the end of a Dorrans cross.
Fôn Williams was forced to pull off a good save to keep out Macdonald in 68 minutes and Hamilton threatened from three successive corners when the home keeper was placed under great pressure. Dom Thomas was introduced in 72 minutes and the decision to withdraw Kai Kennedy was clearly unpopular with the home fans but it was to protect the midfielder`s ankle that was just recovering from injury.
Cole picked out Dow inside the Hamilton box but after Macdonald had robbed of the ball there were loud appeals for a penalty that went unrewarded. Accies forced two more corners in 80 minutes with Popescu heading the second over the bar.
Fulton fisted away a Thomas corner sent in from the right with eight minutes remaining. After a promising break made by O’Hara and Pybus, Cole was presented with the opportunity to shoot but his attempt from the edge of the box cleared the crossbar.
Mihai Popescu collected a yellow card when stopping a Thomas run and from the free kick 27 yards out Dom had his 91st minute shot deflected behind off the four man defensive wall. The corner landed on the roof of the net and it was to be the fourth home game that Dunfermline had failed to find the net.
The point takes the Pars total to three and they trail Hamilton and Morton by three with the match in hand looming in Kirkcaldy in midweek.
SUBS NOT USED: Kyle Macdonald, Paul Allan, Leon Jones, Deniz Mehmet (GK)
YELLOW CARD: Dorrans (20), Watson (54), Dow (68)
HAMILTON ACADEMICAL: Ryan Fulton: Luke Matheson, Shaun Want (Brian Easton 77), Mihai Popescu, Kieran MacDonald: Regan Mimnaugh: Lewis Smith (Adam McGowan 73), Lewis Spence (Miko Virtanen 27), Josh Mullin, Marley Redfern: Andy Ryan (c).
SUBS NOT USED: Kyle Munro, George Stanger, Ronan Hughes, Joe Hilton (GK).
YELLOW CARD: Want (40), Popescu (90)
REFEREE: Scott Lambie
WEATHER: Cloudy 18°C
ATTENDANCE 3150
NEXT MATCH: cinch Championship (away) v Raith Rovers, Wednesday 29th September 2021, kick off 7.05pm at Stark’s Park
Views : 4,441
Related Stories
- Managers Post Hamilton
- Preview Hamilton Academical
- Dunfermline 0 Inverness CT 0
- Ayr United 3 Dunfermline 1
-
Dunfermline 0-0 Hamilton
Sat, 25th Sep 2021
-
Peter Grant post Hamilton
Sat, 25th Sep 2021
-
Owain Fon Williams post Hamilton
Sat, 25th Sep 2021
Match Photos To Follow.
Preview Hamilton Academical
Saturday, 25th Sep 2021cinch Championship (home) Saturday 25th September 2021 kick off 3.00pm at East End Park
After a clean sheet against Inverness Caley Thistle and creating a number of chances to win there are signs of Dunfermline taking a step forward despite still sitting bottom of the table. This weekend’s fixture is an important one against the side just above them and a home win at East End Park would lift them off the foot.
The teams have not met in the league since season 2012-2013 when Dunfermline took seven points and Hamilton four. The sides were drawn together in the Scottish Cup in 2017 and the Accies progressed after the Fifth round tie was settled on penalties.
Hamilton are undefeated in their last seven matches at East End Park but Dunfermline had won all seven before that. In total the Pars have won 33, lost 17 and drawn 6 of the previous 56 home league matches. In total the teams have met 83 times with the Fifers having the narrowest of advantages 35 to 34 in wins with 14 drawn.
Milestones Hamilton Academical (Home)
Last Victory | 03-12-95 | 4-0 | Division 1
Last Defeat | 06-04-13 | 2-3 | Division 1
Best Victory | 11-11-72 | 7-2 | Division 2*
Worst Defeat | 20-10-07 | 0-5 | Division 1
Last Goalless Draw | 20-01-90 | Scottish Cup
First ever home meeting | 21-08-26 | 0-1 | Division 1*
*Pre league reconstruction
Last Twelve Meetings
With a 4-0 scoreline Bert Paton was last Dunfermline Athletic manager to achieve a home win over Hamilton Academical. Dunfermline have won two of the last twelve meetings, Hamilton six and four have ended all square.
14-02-17 | A | D | 1-1 | Scottish Cup
11-02-17 | H | D | 1-1 | Scottish Cup
06-04-13 | H | L | 2-3 | Division 1
09-02-13 | A | W | 2-1 | Division 1
02-02-13 | H | L | 0-2 | Scottish Cup
15-12-12 | H | D | 1-1 | Division 1
29-09-12 | A | W | 3-0 | Division 1
11-03-09 | H | D | 1-1 | Division 1
09-02-08 | A | L | 0-2 | Division 1
20-10-07 | H | L | 0-5 | Division 1
04-08-07 | A | L | 1-2 | Division 1
06-04-96 | H | L | 1-3 | Division 1
Last Meeting at East End Park
Saturday 11th February 2017, Scottish Cup
Dunfermline 1 Hamilton Academical 1
The home side had the ball in the net on 28th minute when Callum Morris leapt high to head home only for referee Craig Thomson to deem that Moffat had impeded keeper Remi Matthews’ attempt to challenge and disallowed the `goal`.
There was nothing to dispute next minute when McMULLAN latched on to a Moffat pass to find a route through the middle and blast home yet another cup goal. Paul’s fifth in cups and his first for Dunfermline at East End Park. 1-0
In the second half McMullan, Moffat and Higginbotham all came close to putting the Premier League side’s cup exit but with Sean Murdoch coming under increased pressure Hamilton found the equaliser that would take the tie to a Valentines’ night replay.
There was only a quarter of an hour to go and snow was falling when a corner from the right caused the damage. Daniel Redmond delivered the corner and the defence got the ball out only to be returned through Imrie and McMann to the diminutive REDMOND who although tracked by Moffat managed to curl the ball in at the far post. 1-1
DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch: Andy Geggan (c) (Jason Talbot 39), Lee Ashcroft, Callum Morris, Lewis Martin: Paul McMullan, John Herron, Nat Wedderburn, Kallum Higginbotham: Nicky Clark, Michael Moffat (David Hopkirk 87)
SUBS NOT USED: Gavin Reilly, Joe Cardle, Rhys McCabe, Michael Paton, David Hutton (GK)
HAMILTON ACCIES: Remi Matthews: Ioannis Skondras (Scott McMann 54), Danny Seaborne, Michael Devlin (c), Massimo Donati, Grant Gillespie (Dougie Imrie HT): Darian MacKinnon, Blair Adams, Eamonn Brophy, Daniel Redmond (Gramoz Kurtaj 78), Rakish Bingham
SUBS NOT USED: Ronan Hughes, Craig Watson, Ross Cunningham, Gary Woods (GK).
Recent Form
Hamilton are two points better off than Dunfermline after both sides made disappointing starts to their league campaigns. Although the visitors have lost all three of their home matches in the league and have not scored a goal in any of them, they have gained all their points on the road and scored six times.
The Pars picked up a point at home last time out against an on-form Inverness team and will take confidence from that following previous home defeats to Arbroath and Partick Thistle.
Last six matches
DUNFERMLINE
Inverness Caley Thistle (H) D 0-0
Ayr United (A) L 0-3
Arbroath (H) L 0-3
Rangers (A) L 0-5
Partick Thistle (H) L 0-3
Morton (A) D 2-2
HAMILTON ACADEMICAL
Ayr United (H) L 0-2
Arbroath (A) L 0-4
Hearts U20 (H) W 3-2
Queen of the South (A) W 2-1
Kilmarnock (H) L 0-2
Morton (H) L 0-1
Current League Stats
DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 10th
League Points: 2
Goal Difference: -8
League Record: P5 W0 D2 L3 GF3 GA11
Last Six Match Form: DLLLLD
HAMILTON ACADEMICAL
League Position: 9th
League Points: 4
Goal Difference: -8
League Record: P6 W1 D1 L4 GF6 GA14
Last Six Match Form: LLWWLL
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Inverness Caley Thistle): Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Paul Watson, Vytas Gašpuitis, Josh Edwards: Ryan Dow, Dan Pybus (Dom Thomas 69), Graham Dorrans (c), Kai Kennedy: Nikolay Todorov (Reece Cole 82), Kevin O’Hara (Craig Wighton HT)
SUBS NOT USED: Kyle Macdonald, Paul Allan, Leon Jones, Deniz Mehmet (GK)
HAMILTON (v Ayr United): Ryan Fulton: Luke Matheson, Mihai Popescu, Brian Easton, Kieran MacDonald, Kyle Munro, Lewis Spence, Regan Mimnaugh (Miko Virtanen 79), Josh Mullin, Marley Redfern (Lewis Smith 69), Andy Ryan.
SUBS NOT USED: Ben Stirling, Shaun Want, George Stanger, Joe Hilton, Adam McGowan
Referee will be Scott Lambie.
Other Championship Fixtures
Arbroath v Kilmarnock (Friday night on BBC Scotland)
Ayr United v Morton
Inverness Caley v Queen of the South
Raith Rovers v Partick Thistle (Sunday)
Fixture kick off time amendment
Wednesday September 29
cinch Championship
Raith Rovers v Dunfermline Athletic
Live on BBC Scotland, kick-off 7.05pm
2017: Dunfermline 1 Hamilton Academical 1
Views : 5,351
Related Stories
- Dunfermline 0 Inverness CT 0
- Ayr United 3 Dunfermline 1
- Loan players big part to play
- Point has to be made at club level
