Dunfermline 0 Arbroath 3
Sunday, 26th Dec 2021cinch Championship: same again starting eleven for Pars. Rhys Breen (6og) 0-1: Michael McKenna (45) 0-2: Anton Dowds (81) 0-3:
The Boxing Day visitors to East End Park were Dick Campbell’s Arbroath. Having taken 34 points from the first half of the league season, the Red Lichties were proud league leaders at Christmas equal on points but four goals better off than second placed Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
Manager John Hughes named the same starting eleven that played in the abandoned match at Kilmarnock while Arbroath welcomed back Thomas O`Brien, and Michael McKenna who started in place of James Craigen and Bobby Linn. David Gold, Luke Donnelly and second choice keeper Calum Antell all made the bench. Their Assistant Manager Ian Campbell also returned but no Dick Campbell yet.
The match would be played in front of no fans due to Scottish Government Covid restrictions and the stadium was eerily quiet between the end of the warm up and teams emerging from the stands at either end of the ground. Chris Hamilton got the match underway with Arbroath attacking the goal at the McCathie Stand end.
Dunfermline continued their habit of conceding an early goal, this time in the sixth minute. Anton Dowds was sent down the left and his cross was deflected past Owain Fôn Williams by Rhys Breen finding the goal in the bottom right. 0-1
It was the 14th minute when Joel Nouble raced away from Mark Connolly but having been tracked by Graham Dorrans the Arbroath man fell over in the box but there were no appeals for a penalty. Dunfermline were passing the ball about with confidence but were finding the visitors defence hard to penetrate. A 17th minute free kick was launched into the Arbroath box from the right side by Josh Edwards but it was Chris Hamilton who scurried away up the right wing as a result. Matthew Todd covered back but a cross could not be prevented and thankfully no damage resulted from that.
First Pars shot on target came midway through the first half when Edwards cut in from the left and sent a low right footed effort in from 22 yards out that Derek Gaston dropped to his left to hold. Two minutes later Dowds was wide left again but his cross was glanced wide right by Henderson.
Arbroath were content to allow the Fifers to play the ball across the back four but when Connolly, Dorrans and Breen tried to find a pass forward they were continually confronted by two strings of maroon shirted players stretching across the park.
Next Dunfermline shot came in 33 minutes when Dorrans took on his man and made ground to release a left footed shot from 20 yards out that unfortunately cleared the bar. The Angus side looked dangerous on the break and Scott Stewart put Fôn Williams under pressure but he booted away the problem.
Four minutes from the break a ball lifted through by Dorrans created a chance for Todd to shoot from an acute angle from the left. His effort was deflected into the sidenetting and although two corners followed Dunfermline were penalised for pushing at the second and there would be no change to the scoreline.
Instead it was Arbroath who would find the net in the final minute of the half, Dowds laid the ball off to McKENNA some 20 yards out and their top goal scored sent a screamer past Fon Williams to give the visitors a two goal advantage at half time.
For all their possession Dunfermline went in with a lot to do in the second half.
Half time: Dunfermline 0 Arbroath 2
The second half was just in its third minute when a Wighton cross was met by Comrie, Henderson got the block in and McCann followed up but his effort was deflected over and only a corner was the outcome. Dorrans eventually got the opportunity to shoot when the ball was delivered in from the right but his attempt went well wide.
Connolly collected a 57th minute yellow card in stopping Dowds on the right side of his box and when McKenna rifled a low drive into the six yard box Fon Williams pulled off a good save to end the danger. The management gave it five more minutes before introducing two subs - Kevin O’Hara and Kai Kennedy coming on for Craig Wighton and Matty Todd.
Paul Allan flighted a 68th minute free kick in from the left but all too easy for the Lichties defence to head clear. Then Kennedy played the ball through Dow to O’Hara. The former Alloa man tried a shot but it was blocked.
There was a promising move in 76 minutes when Kennedy picked out Comrie on the right and he found Dow who whipped over a cross that was defended out for Allan to launch a shot on target that was blocked. Two more minutes past before a Comrie cross saw McCann glance a header wide left.
Next O’Hara made a good run to get on the end of a Dow pass but could only force a corner on the right. That from Edwards was followed by one from Allan from the left side but the defence mopped up with ease. Then Nouble’s break saw him make ground down the right channel to tee up DOWDS for an 81st minute goal. 0-3
In the end Arbroath had demonstrated why they are top of the cinch Championship. Their win took them three points clear of second placed Inverness Caledonian Thistle who were not in action. As for Dunfermline they remain ninth with another tough game coming up next against Caley Thistle.
DUNFERMLINE: Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Mark Connolly, Rhys Breen, Josh Edwards: Matthew Todd (Kai Kennedy 62), Graham Dorrans (c), Paul Allan, Ryan Dow: Craig Wighton (Kevin O’Hara 62), Lewis McCannSUBS NOT USED: Ross Graham, Kyle Macdonald, Nikolay Todorov, Dan Pybus, Deniz Mehmet (GK)
YELLOW CARD: Connolly (56)
ARBROATH: Derek Gaston: Jason Thomson, Ricki Little, Thomas O’Brien (c), Colin Hamilton (David Gold 89): Chris Hamilton, Scott Stewart, Liam Henderson, Michael McKenna, Joel Nouble, Anton Dowds.
SUBS NOT USED: Gavin Swankie, Bobby Linn, Luke Donnelly, Nicky Low, Harrison Clark, Callum Antell (GK)
SCORERS: Breen (6og), McKenna (45), Dowds (81)
YELLOW CARD: Chris Hamilton (49)
REFEREE: Alan Muir
WEATHER: Rain 3°C
ATTENDANCE 0
NEXT MATCH: cinch Championship (home) v Inverness Caley Thistle, Wednesday 29th December 2021, kick off 7.45pm at East End Park
50/50 winning ticket number: 534984 won £250
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Preview Arbroath
Sunday, 26th Dec 2021cinch Championship: Sunday 26th December 2021 (home) v Arbroath, kick off 3.00pm at East End Park
The Boxing Day fixture brings Dick Campbell’s table topping Arbroath to East End Park. The sides met four times last season, Dunfermline winning three and Arbroath one. This season the clubs have met twice and Arbroath have won both times. The Angus side’s win at East End Park in August was their first there for eight years.
These two clubs have met 103 times and the Fifers have the advantage with 49 wins to Arbroath’s 33 with 21 games drawn.
Milestones Arbroath (home)
Last Victory | 24/04/21 | 4-3 | Championship
Last Defeat | 28/08/21 | 0-3 | Championship
Best Victory | 02/04/32 | 6-0 | Div Two*
Worst Defeat | 12/12/36 | 1-4 | Div One*
Last Goalless Draw | 22/03/86 | Div Two*
First Meeting | 17/04/22 | 5-1 | Div Two*
*Pre league reconstruction
The sides have met 80 times in the league, Dunfermline have won 35, Arbroath 27 and 18 matches have been drawn.
Last time at East End Park
cinch Championship
Dunfermline 0-3 Arbroath
Sat, 28th Aug 2021
This defeat sent Peter Grant’s side to the bottom of the table, a position that they would hold for eleven weeks. The visitors took the lead in 12 minutes when Nicky Low was able to fire a shot from 25 yards out that Deniz Mehmet parried into the centre of his box and McKENNA was first to react to poke the ball home. 0-1
One minute from the interval Todorov headed home from a cross from the right but referee Mike Roncone blew it up for the challenge on keeper Gaston. On resumption play switched to the other end where Scott Stewart cut the ball back from the right byeline for David GOLD to direct into the left corner of the Pars net. 0-2
Midway through the second half Nouble got the better of Watson and McKENNA finished to make it 0-3. Although there was still a quarter of the match remaining but it looked an impossible comeback for the Fifers.
DUNFERMLINE: Deniz Mehmet: Kyle Macdonald, Vytas Gašpuitis, Paul Watson, Josh Edwards: Ryan Dow (Craig Wighton 63), Dan Pybus (Dom Thomas HT), Graham Dorrans (c), Kai Kennedy: Nikolay Todorov (Reece Cole 90+1), Kevin O’Hara.
SUBS NOT USED: Aaron Comrie, Paul Allan, Matty Todd, Owain Fôn Williams (GK).
ARBROATH: Derek Gaston: Scott Stewart (Bobby Linn 75), Ricky Little, Thomas O’Brien (c), Colin Hamilton: David Gold, Liam Henderson (Dale Hilson HT), Nicky Low, Michael McKenna, James Craigen, Joel Nouble (Luke Donnelly 71)
SUBS NOT USED: Anton Dowds, Harrison Clark, Gavin Swankie, Calum Antell (GK).
Twelve Most Recent Meetings
The Fifers have won seven of the last twelve fixtures, Arbroath four including the last two. One game has been drawn.
30/10/21 | Arbroath 4 Dunfermline 2 | Championship
28/08/21 | Dunfermline 0 Arbroath 3 | Championship
24/04/21 | Dunfermline 4 Arbroath 3 | Championship
06/02/21 | Arbroath 2 Dunfermline 0 | Championship
26/12/20 | Dunfermline 1 Arbroath 0 | Championship
28/11/20 | Arbroath 1 Dunfermline 3 | Betfred Cup
04/03/20 | Arbroath 0-0 Dunfermline | Championship
29/10/19 | Dunfermline 2-0 Arbroath | Championship
31/08/19 | Arbroath 1-0 Dunfermline | Championship
15/08/17 | Dunfermline 2-0 Arbroath | Challenge Cup
19/07/16 | Dunfermline 3-0 Arbroath | League Cup
25/07/15 | Arbroath 1-4 Dunfermline | Challenge Cup
Recent Form
Dunfermline have lost three, won two and drawn one of their last six matches. Arbroath have won four and drawn two of their last six games. They sit on top of the Championship and have gone ten matches undefeated with their only away defeat in the Championship this season at Raith in mid October.
Last six matches
DUNFERMLINE
Queen of the South (H) D 3-3
Hamilton Academical (A) L 0-1
Partick Thistle (A) L 0-1
Ayr United (H) W 3-0
Inverness Caledonian Thistle (A) W 2-1
Morton (H) L 1-3
ARBROATH
Morton (H) W 2-1
Partick Thistle (A) W 2-0
Raith Rovers (H) D 0-0
Forfar Athletic (H) W 3-0
Kilmarnock (A) W 1-0
Queen of the South (H) D 1-1
League Record
DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 9th
League Points: 14
Goal Difference: -10
League Record: P17 W3 D7 L5 GF18 GA28
Last Six Match Form: LWWLLD
ARBROATH
League Position: 1st
League Points: 34
Goal Difference: +16
League Record: P18 W9 D7 L2 GF30 GA14
Last Six Match Form: DWWDWW
Last Time out
DUNFERMLINE(v Kilmarnock): Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Mark Connolly, Rhys Breen, Josh Edwards: Matthew Todd, Graham Dorrans (c), Paul Allan, Ryan Dow: Craig Wighton: Lewis McCann
SUBS NOT USED: Ross Graham, Kyle Macdonald, Kevin O’Hara, Kai Kennedy, Nikolay Todorov, Dan Pybus, Deniz Mehmet (GK)
ARBROATH (v Morton): Derek Gaston: Jason Thomson, Ricki Little, Liam Henderson, Colin Hamilton: Chris Hamilton, Scott Stewart, James Craigen, Bobby Linn (Gavin Swankie 89), Joel Nouble, Anton Dowds.
SUBS NOT USED: Nicky Low, Harrison Clark, Rab Douglas GK)
Referee will be Alan Muir whose last match at East End Park was the Fife Derby in October of this year.
Other Championship Fixtures
Ayr United v Raith Rovers
Hamilton Academical v Kilmarnock
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Partick Thistle
Morton v Queen of the South
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