Dunfermline 1 Queen of the South 1
Saturday, 3rd Dec 2022cinch League One: Pars unchanged. Ruari Paton (45) 0-1: Nikolay Todorov (67) 1-1:
The points were shared after substitute Nikolay Todorov headed home the equaliser following Ruari Paton’s opener for the visitors just before the break. Both sides had chances to win the match but after a lacklustre performance the Pars were relieved their unbeaten home record remained intact.
Fellow relegated side Queen of the South were the visitors to East End Park having made the long journey up from Dumfries. Their fortunes so far this season had been mixed, with them starting the day in 7th place in cinch League One, but with more than half of the season left to play they would consider a promotion play-off position still to be within reach. As well as player-manager Wullie Gibson the Doonhamers boasted several players with Pars’ connections – Harry Cochrane, Gavin Reilly and Ian Wilson (Stuart Morrison was in the stand) - but it would be fair to say none made as big an impression in their time in West Fife as their boss.
The Queens manager named his son but not himself in the visiting starting line-up, making three changes from his cup team. League One manager of the month James McPake had the luxury of naming a starting eleven unchanged from the one that had dispatched Forfar from the cup the previous week, and was able to recall Robbie Mahon to the bench.
Josh Todd won the toss and chose to attack the goal in front of the McCathie Stand, The Pars again went with their 3-4-2-1 formation, not quite a “Christmas Tree” for their only home game of Advent, but close, and the visitors looked to match them with Stephen Hendrie and Lewis Gibson pushing up on the flanks with Paton, Reilly and Connelly inter-changing to provide the attacking threat.
The first chance fell to the Pars in four minutes when Chris Mochrie on the left touch-line fed Josh Edwards in the channel but Craig Wighton couldn’t keep his header down from the full-back’s cross. Initially the home team enjoyed a lot of possession but all too often the move would break down when impatience led to an over-ambitious pass.
In nine minutes, with keeper Max Currie yelling at his defence to stop the cross, the Pars tried a delicate quick touch move in the box but ultimately it was easy for the defence to thwart Kane Ritchie-Hosler and shepherd the ball out for a goal kick.
Meanwhile pressure from Reilly forced Deniz Mehmet to hurry his clearance but the visitors couldn’t capitalise. They came closer in 13 minutes when Wilson drew a foul from Ritchie-Hosler but Gibson’s cross fell just beyond Connelly’s outstretched leg and closer still with Reilly getting his head to another Gibson cross, this time from open play but he couldn’t trouble Mehmet.
The visitors had now grown into the game and the flow of football was mostly towards Mehmet although he hadn’t been required to make a save with the Pars defending well and managing to play themselves out of trouble.
We saw better from Dunfermline on the half-hour mark when Kyle Benedictus strode out of defence and initiated an attack which culminated in a Comrie cross and a Mochrie header just wide under pressure. Soon after Chalmers shaped to shoot but played in Wighton who held off his man only to be denied at the near post, Chalmers’ subsequent corner was easily collected by Currie.
The referee was beginning to incur the ire of the home fans, with little nudges and pushes being ignored, no more so than when Mochrie appeared to be fouled and grabbed the ball only to be the one penalised. The game appeared to be swinging back in Dunfermline’s favour s they won a series of corners but with Chalmers slipping it was ultimately the Pars goal which was more threatened as the visitors broke quickly.
Then, just as the match looked to finishing goal-less at the break the visitors took the lead, out of nowhere, Wighton lost possession midway inside the Queens’ half, the ball was quickly played to Connelly and thence to an unmarked Ruari PATON 10 yards out and he was able to slip the ball under Mehmet.
Half Time: Dunfermline Athletic 0 Queen of the South 1
There were no changes at the break but after Hendrie shot narrowly wide James McPake made his move, bringing on Nikolay Todorov for Sam Fisher with the Pars reverting to a more traditional 4-4-2.
However, it was the visitors who initially looked more like scoring – following a stramash with ball pinging around the six-yard box, Breen was forced to hit it the way he was facing and behind for a corner, after which Paul McKay should have done better than head the ball straight at Mehmet.
A Ritchie-Hosler long ball forced Currie out of his goal in the nick of time to clear from Wighton and then the keeper saved to his left side taking no chances from a Chalmers free-kick that may not have been on target.
Midway through the half, the keeper made a double save – Todd had spun his man and sent in a deep cross that fell for Todorov but Currie saved the first shot and then easily punched the follow up from an off-balance WIghton. But the equaliser was not long delayed when a quickly taken shy allowed Comrie to cross from the right and TODOROV to score an easy header from close range.
Suddenly there was a game on our hands, with both sides upping the tempo and looking for a winner. A Wilson shot was tipped over the bar and Todorov then found himself having to make a last ditch header in his own penalty area. At the other end Wighton seemed a little unsighted when McKay missed Comrie’s cross and will wish to have done better than miss the target with a header.
With five minutes to go, it looked as if the Pars might have over-committed to the attack when the Doonhamers got the break of the ball to launch a counter-attack with a man over, but Breen got back to block and then Cochrane had a shooting chance but his effort whizzed past the post. Down to the other end we went and Macdonald who had just come on to replace Ritchie-Hosler just failed to get on the end of an Edwards long throw.
We were now into stoppage time, and both sides spurned a chance each to win the three points – first a poor clearance allowed Matt Todd to advance and he set up Todorov, but after taking the time to set himself, the forward shot agonisingly past the post, and then, with the match entering its final minute Queens crossed first from the left, and then from the right with Paton heading straight at Mehmet.
SUBS NOT USED: Robbie Mahon, Sam Young, Andrew Tod, Taylor Sutherland, Liam Hoggan, Max Little (GK)
SCORERS: Todorov (67)
YELLOW CARD: Edwards (82)
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH: Max Currie: Ciaran McKenna, Paul McKay, David Mackay, Lewis Gibson (Connor Murray 74, Iain Wilson, Josh Todd(c), Stephen Hendrie, Lee Connelly (Harry Cochrane 65), Gavin Reilly, Ruari Paton.
SUBS NOT USED: Sam Henderson, Calvin McGrory, Kieran McKechnie, Michael Ruth, Ross Irving, Dom McMahon, Ewan Bange
SCORERS: Paton (45)
YELLOW CARD: McKenna (74), Cochrane (86), Currie (87)
REFEREE: Colin Steven
WEATHER: Fine 7°C
ATTENDANCE 3927
NEXT MATCH: SPFL Trust Trophy (away) v Arbroath, Friday 9th December 2022, 7.45pm kick off at Gayfield
50/50 Half Time draw: Winning ticket number – 25111 Prize Amount - £750
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Match Photos To Follow.
Preview Queen of the South
Saturday, 3rd Dec 2022cinch League One (home) v Queen of the South, Saturday 3rd December 2022, kick off 3.00pm at The KDM Group East End Park
This Saturday Dunfermline welcome Queen of the South. The Dumfries side won the last time these clubs met at East End Park in what was the final match of the cinch Championship season in April this year. Now both in League One it is the immediate desire of both clubs to get back as soon as possible to where they were last season.
Milestones Queen of the South (Home)
Last Victory | 17/04/21 | 3-1 | Championship
Last Defeat | 29/04/22 | 1-2 | Championship
Best Victory
30/12/72 | 6-1 | Div One (old)
16/04/11 | 6-1 | First Division
Worst Defeat | 09/12/17 | 2-5 | Championship
Last Goalless Draw | 01/09/76 | 0-0 | League Cup
First Ever Meeting | 12/12/25 | 4-0 | Second Division
Dunfermline have lost only nine of 45 league games at home to Queen of the South. They have won 28 and drawn eight.
Last Meeting at East End Park
Cinch Championship
Dunfermline 1-2 Queen of the South
Fri, 29th Apr 2022
The play offs were always the most likely outcome from this evening but to lose the final home league match of the season.
Six minutes into the game the home side took the lead. O’Hara struck the ball wide to Todd and the 20 year old’s cross found Josh EDWARDS. His first effort was blocked by Wullie Gibson but Steven Lawless fed it back to him and his second attempt from six yards evaded both the keeper and a defender on the line. 1-0
The sixth minute of the second half however saw a Gibson free kick from the right met at the far post by CHALMERS who intended to head it wide for a corner but instead headed into his own net. 1-1
Then from a 71st corner swung in from the right by Connelly, O’CONNOR netted with a right footed shot at the far post past his former Leicester City team mate in the Fifers goal. 1-2
DUNFERMLINE: 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 OF THE SOUTH: Josh Rae: Willie Gibson, Darragh O`Connor, Euan East (Roberto Nditi 22), Alex Cooper: Lee Connelly, Harry Cochrane (Niyah Joseph 59), Calvin McGrory, Josh Todd (c): Innes Cameron, Ruari Paton.
SUBS NOT USED: Shea Gordon, Sam Folarin, Kieran McKechnie, Ruben Soares Junior, Matthew Henderson, Charlie Cowie (GK)
Last Twelve Matches v Queen of the South
In the last twelve meetings, Dunfermline have won six, Queen of the South three and three have been drawn.
Date: . . | H/A | WDL | F-A | Competition
03/09/22 | (A) | W | 2-0 | League One
29/04/22 | (H) | L | 1-2 | Championship
29/01/22: | (A) | W | 2-0 | Championship
11/12/21: (H) | D | 3-3 | Championship
02/10/21: (A) | L | 0-1 | Championship
17/04/21: (H) | W | 3-1 | Championship
27/02/21: (A) | L | 0-1 | Championship
31/10/20: (H) | W | 3-2 | Championship
07/03/20: (H) | D | 1-1 | Championship
01/02/20: (A) | W | 3-2 | Championship
02/11/19: (H) | W | 2-0 | Championship
10/08/19: (A) | D | 1-1 | Championship
Recent Form
Queen of the South have won three and lost three of their last six matches. They have scored 12 goals in their last six matches with as many as four put past Montrose and three past FC. Edinburgh but have conceded 13 goals in those same six matches including five to Alloa and four to Morton.
Dunfermline have won four of their last six league matches, lost one and drawn one. The Pars are undefeated in their twelve home matches this season and have conceded just four times in their last six matches.
Last six matches
DUNFERMLINE
Forfar Athletic (H) W 4-0
Peterhead (A) W 2-0
Celtic B (H) W 2-1
Clyde (H) D 2-2
Falkirk (A) W 1-0
Kelty Hearts (H) W 2-1
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH
Morton (A) L 1-4
Montrose (H) W 4-0
Alloa Athletic (A) L 1-5
FC Edinburgh (A) W 3-0
Falkirk (H) L 1-3
Clyde (A) W 2-1
League Record
DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 1st
League Points: 35
Goal Difference: +15
Home League Record: P8 W4 D4 L0 GF11 GA7
Last Six Match Form: WWDWWW
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH
League Position: 7th
League Points: 22
Goal Difference: +2
Away League Record: P8 W3 D2 L3 GF14 GA14
Last Six Match Form: WLWLWL
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Forfar Athletic): Deniz Mehmet: Sam Fisher, Kyle Benedictus (c), Rhys Breen: Aaron Comrie (Kyle Macdonald 66), Joe Chalmers, Matthew Todd (Chris Hamilton 66), Josh Edwards: Kane Ritchie-Hosler (Nikolay Todorov 53), Craig Wighton, Chris Mochrie (Taylor Sutherland 82).
SUBS NOT USED: Sam Young, Andrew Tod, Liam Hoggan, Max Little (GK)
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH (v Morton): Max Currie: Ciaran McKenna, Paul McKay, Euan East: Lewis Gibson (Connor Murray 60), Calvin McGrory (Harry Cochrane 83), Iain Wilson, Rico Quitongo (Ross Irving 90+3): Josh Todd (Lee Connelly 90+3): Gavin Reilly (Michael Ruth 83), Ruari Paton.
SUBS NOT USED: David McKay, Dom McMahon, Stephen Hendrie
Referee will be Colin Steven.
Other cinch League One fixtures
Clyde v FC Edinburgh
Falkirk v Airdrieonians
Kelty Hearts v Peterhead
Montrose v Alloa Athletic
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