Queens Park 0 Dunfermline 0

Wednesday, 4th May 2022

cinch Championship semi final play off: Graham Dorrans and Ryan Dow start in place of Dan Pybus and Dom Thomas

The first leg of the cinch Championship semi final play off took Dunfermline back to Firhill to meet Queen’s Park. The Glasgow side qualified for the play offs by finishing fourth in League One.

Manager John Hughes made two changes from his Friday night starting eleven. Captain Graham Dorrans returned in place of Dan Pybus and Ryan Dow was preferred to Dom Thomas. The Queen’s Park team showed two changes from the one that drew with Falkirk the previous Saturday, captain Michael Doyle and Connor Smith coming in for Luca Connell and Jai Quitongo.

Kevin O’Hara got the tie underway with Dunfermline attacking the goal at the open end of the stadium. It was the home side that created the first danger when Jake Davidson fed Louis Longridge the ball wide right and his danger laden cross was headed clear by Matty Todd. A free kick on the left led to a corner on the right but the defence dealt with both setplays.

Queens kept up the pressure forcing a tenth minute corner before Bob McHugh, Darren Lyon and Connor Smith linked well on the edge of the Pars box. At the other end an O’Hara cross from the left was easily taken by keeper Calum Ferrie.

The Fifers looked better when Todd played the ball off Lawless to produce a low cross that only just evaded Dow. Then in 18 minutes Lawless took on his man out on the left and delivered a ball to the back post. Todd headed back across goal but O’Hara’s effort went straight to Ferrie.

At the midpoint of the first half Lawless set off on a run that took him to 20 yards out but electing to shoot his drive went wide right. On 29 minutes Lawless sent Dow away down the left, a good ball but the offside flag went up. Next minute O’Hara and Dorrans set up a chance for Polworth in front of goal but he was closed out before he could pull the trigger.

Dorrans got a break ten minutes from the interval but he was unlucky that his ball right to the unmarked Lawless broke off Charlie Fox. Next O’Hara and Dow forced a corner on the left. Dorrans took it short and set up Polworth for the delivery into the box. That was cleared and O’Hara had the final cross but too strong to the back post.

Dorrans fired a free kick in from the left but again the home defence prevailed. The interval arrived with precious few shots from either side and correspondingly no goals.

Half time: Queen’s Park 0 Dunfermline 0

The Spiders forced two early second half corners but failed to make anything of them. A slack pass on 54 minutes allowed Davidson to gain ground and shoot from the edge of the Pars box forcing Jakub Stolarczyk to drop to his left to hold.

The travelling support warmed when Dorrans played a one two with O’Hara that put him in to shoot from 20 yards out but that was blocked. A Lawless corner followed and appeals for handball from Donaldson’s flick on we’re unsuccessful. The next chance followed quickly thereafter with a Lawless cross headed into the keeper by Edwards.

On 65 minutes a neat Todd pass played Polworth into the right side of the opposition box and his cut back found Dow but quickly closed down all he could earn was a corner that changed nothing.

Two minutes later O’Hara produced the best effort of the night that far blasting his angled shot on target from 15 yards out and causing Ferrie to pull off a good save.

The first Dunfermline substitution came with fifteen minutes remaining, Kevin O’Hara was withdrawn and Lewis McCann entered the fray. It was the Queens sub Simon Murray who almost changed the scoreline. He latched on to a Connor Smith pass and his cross from the left byeline had to be punched away by the visiting keeper.

Murray was then given the opportunity from a 81st minute free kick just 24 yards out after Jai Quitongo won the setpiece but blasted over the crossbar. Another Dunfermline chance came from Todd combining with Polworth and his pass in from the right was just too far in front of Dorrans at the far post for him to get the perfect shot away.

McCann forced an added time corner but it would end all square to go into Saturday’s second leg at East End Park.

QUEENS PARK: Calum Ferrie: Michael Doyle (c), Peter Grant, Charlie Fox, Tommy Robson: Louis Longridge (Jai Quitongo 70), Jake Davidson, Liam Brown (Jack Thomson 70), Connor Smith: Bob McHugh (Simon Murray 80), Darren Lyon.
SUBS NOT USED: Connor McBride, Stuart Morrison, Lewis Moore, Luis Longstaff, Ronan Darcy, Jacques Heraghty (GK).

DUNFERMLINE: Jakub Stolarczyk: Matthew Todd, Efe Ambrose, Coll Donaldson, Josh Edwards: Steven Lawless, Liam Polworth, Joe Chalmers, Ryan Dow: Graham Dorrans (c)(Aaron Comrie 90): Kevin O’Hara (Lewis McCann 75).
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Martin, Nikolay Todorov, Rhys Breen, Leon Jones, Dom Thomas, Bobby Kamwa, Deniz Mehmet (GK)

REFEREE: Colin Steven
WEATHER: Dry 13°C
ATTENDANCE 1403

NEXT MATCH: cinch Championship play-off semi-final, 2nd leg (home) v Queen’s Park, Saturday 7th May 2022, kick off 3.0m at East End Park

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Preview Queens Park First Leg

Wednesday, 4th May 2022

cinch Championship play-off semi-final, 1st leg (away) v Queen’s Park, Wednesday 4th May, kick off 7.45pm at Firhill

Dunfermline will play Queen’s Park in the first leg of the cinch Championship semi final on Wednesday night. It means yet another match for the Pars at Firhill - the fifth this season - since this is where Queen’s are playing their home games this season.

The Pars record in the 31 matches away to Queen’s Park is won 10, drawn 8, lost 13. All three of the matches in the last 35 years have been in cup ties with the Pars winning all three. Otherwise records refer to seasons back from 1985-1986.

Milestones Queen’s Park (away)
Last Victory 18/11/17 4-1 Scottish Cup
Last Defeat 24/08/85 1-3 Division Two*
Best Victory 18/11/17 4-1 Scottish Cup
Worst Defeat
31/03/28 0-4 Division Two*
13/03/54 0-4 Division Two*
Last Goalless Draw 09/10/76 Division Two*
First Meeting 19/08/22 1-1 Division Two*
* Pre Reconstruction

Last meeting away to Queen’s Park
18 November 2017, Scottish Cup Round Three
Queen’s Park 1 Dunfermline 4

After a slow start, this William Hill Scottish Cup tie saw five goals in the second-half in what turned out to be a hard-fought win for the Pars, despite the scoreline.

Nicky CLARK put the Fifers in front two minutes into the second half. Cardle floated in a cross to the back post and Clark was there to head home.

On 59 minutes, it was the unlikeliest of goalscorers as Jason TALBOT got his first goal of the season. He was in space, 25-yard-out in the middle of the park and he rifled a left-footed effort past White to double the advantage of Dunfermline. That was back to one goal of an advantage four minutes later.

The home side won a free-kick on the left, just a yard or so in from the touchline. As it was swung into the near post by Galt, it caused all sorts of issues in the penalty area with the ball nestling into the corner of Murdoch’s net. The goal was credited to GALT although there may well have been a touch before it crossed the line.

Andy RYAN pounced after White parried an effort with a neat finish from close range to give the Pars a two-goal advantage heading into the final 10 minutes.

As the game edged towards full-time, Declan MCMANUS would get his name on the score-sheet as he fired home from the edge of the area after Cummins had attempted to clear the ball but the former Raith striker pounced on the loose ball to make it 4-1.

QUEENS PARK: Michael White: Ross Millen (c), Scott Gibson, Adam Cummins, Lewis Magee, Gregor Fotheringham, Dominic Docherty (Robbie Leitch 67), Chris Duff, Conor McVey, James MacLennan (William Mortimer 67), David Galt.
SUBS NOT USED: Luke Donnelly, Thomas Orr, Jack Iredale, Luke Whelan, Willie Muir.

DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch: Ryan Williamson, Callum Morris (c), Lee Ashcroft, Jason Talbot: Kallum Higginbotham, Nat Wedderburn (Aaron Splaine 65), Dean Shiels (Lewis Martin 77), Joe Cardle: Declan McManus, Nicky Clark (Andy Ryan 71)
SUBS NOT USED: Jean-Yves M`Voto, Fraser Aird, Callum Smith, Cammy Gill (GK).

Recent Form

Dunfermline have won two and lost four of their last six matches. Queen’s Park have won two of their last six fixtures and have not won in their last three. The Glasgow side have lost only two home games in this league season, Dunfermline have won only two away games this league season. Queen’s Park scored 51 goals in their League One season while Dunfermline scored 36 in the Championship.

Last six matches

DUNFERMLINE
Queen of the South (H) L 1-2
Partick Thistle (A) L 0-1
Ayr United (H) W 2-1
Kilmarnock (A) L 0-2
Raith Rovers (H) W 2-0
Inverness Caledonian Thistle (A) L 0-2

QUEEN’S PARK
Falkirk (H) D 1-1
Montrose (A) L 1-2
Peterhead (A) L 1-2
East Fife (H) W 1-0
Cove Rangers (H) D 1-1
Clyde (H) W 1-0

League Record

DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 9th
League Points: 35
Goal Difference: -17
Away League Record: P18 W2 D6 L10 GF14 GA29
Last Six Match Form: LWLWLL

QUEEN’S PARK
League Position: 4th
League Points: 51
Goal Difference: +15
Home League Record: P18 W8 D8 L2 GF29 GA 15
Last Six Match Form: WDWLLD

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Queen of the South): Jakub Stolarczyk: Matthew Todd, Efe Ambrose, Coll Donaldson (Lewis McCann 78), Josh Edwards: Dan Pybus (Graham Dorrans 66), Joe Chalmers: Steven Lawless (c), Liam Polworth, Dom Thomas (Bobby Kamwa 84): Kevin O’Hara,
SUBS NOT USED: Aaron Comrie, Nikolay Todorov, Ryan Dow, Rhys Breen, Reece Cole, Deniz Mehmet (GK)

QUEEN’S PARK (v Falkirk): Calum Ferrie: Jake Davidson, Peter Grant (Stuart Morrison 59), Charlie Fox, Tommy Robson (Michael Doyle 63): Darren Lyon, Luca Connell, Jai Quitongo (Connor McBride 52), Liam Brown, Louis Longridge (Connor Smith HT), Bob McHugh (Simon Murray 63).
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Moore, Luis Longstaff, Ronan Darcy, Jacques Heraghty (GK).

Referee will be Colin Steven.

Next Matches

Saturday May 7
cinch Championship play-off semi-final, 2nd leg
9th in Championship v 4th in League 1 
Dunfermline Athletic v Queen’s Park, Kick-off 3.00pm

Saturday May 7
cinch Championship play-off semi-final, 2nd leg
2nd in League 1 v 3rd in League 1
Airdrieonians v Montrose, Kick-off 3.00pm

Thursday May 12
cinch Championship play-off final, 1st leg
Lowest-ranked team at home in 1st leg
Live on BBC ALBA, kick-off 7.30pm

Sunday May 15
cinch Championship play-off final, 2nd leg
Highest-ranked team at home in 2nd leg
Live on BBC ALBA, kick-off 1.10pm

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