Preview Dumbarton

Ladbrokes Championship: (home) Saturday 28th April 2018, kick off 3.00pm at East End Park

It comes to the last match of the Championship season with Dunfermline Athletic requiring one point from their final league match of the season to qualify for the Premiership Play offs. Months ago many would readily have accepted that challenge against the team in ninth position but as Allan Johnston constantly warns football is not as easy as that and every side in the Championship is capable of beating the other.

Dunfermline sit on 56 points and due to their superior goal difference, need one point to secure the play offs. Waiting to take advantage of any slip ups are Inverness Caley Thistle for whom a win at Cappielow would take them to 57 points.

Prior to last season, and since April 1996 the sides had only met on league business in season 2012-13 and the Pars have won 17 of the last 24 league meetings.

Milestones Dumbarton (Home)
Last League Victory: 06/08/16 4-3 Championship
Last League Defeat: 23/03/13 3-4 First Division
Best League Victory: 02/01/54 6-1 Division 2
Worst League Defeat : 1982-83 0-6 Division 1
First League Meeting: 1912/13 3-0 Division 2
Last Goalless Draw: 1981-82: 0-0 Division 1

Last 12 Matches v Dumbarton

Date H/A F-A Result Competition
06/01/18: (A) 1-0 W Championship
25/11/17: (H) 2-2 D Championship
26/08/17: (A) 4-0 W Championship
04/03/17: (H) 5-1 W Championship
29/10/16: (A) 2-2 D Championship
06/08/16: (H) 4-3 W Championship
23/03/13: (H) 3-4 L Division One
05/01/13: (A) 1-0 W Division One
24/11/12: (H) 4-0 W Division One
15/09/12: (A) 2-0 W Division One
01/08/09: (A) 5-0 W League Cup
20/04/96: (H) 4-1 W Division One

Last time at East End Park
Ladbrokes Championship Sat 25 November 2017
Dunfermline 2 Dumbarton 2

Then in the fifth minute of the secondhalf, Dumbarton went ahead. TOM WALSH gathered the ball 25 yards out and sent it into the bottom right of the Pars goal 0-1

It was skipper Callum MORRIS who was to find the net five minutes later with a shot from the centre of the Dumbarton box, scoring as a result of a delivery in from a setpiece on the left. 1-1:

Dimitris FROXYLIAS was the first Dumbarton sub in 66 minutes and it took the Cypriot just two minutes to find the net. He made his chance from the right side curling in a wonderful strike from 25 yards out. 1-2

The clock was running away from Dunfermline but in 89th minute the ball was forced into the right side of the box and Cardle and Smith were well positioned to strike. The 18 year old striker thrashed the ball in on the angle, the keeper blocked, Cardle couldn`t get a connection but Williamson crossed for Nicky CLARK to head home. 2-2

DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch: Ryan Williamson, Callum Morris (c), Lee Ashcroft, Jason Talbot: Kallum Higginbotham (Joe Cardle 55), Nat Wedderburn, Dean Shiels (Michael Paton 55), Fraser Aird (Declan McManus 71): Callum Smith, Nicky Clark.
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Martin, Jean-Yves M`Voto, Cammy Gill (GK)

DUMBARTON: Scott Gallagher: Sam Wardrop, Craig Barr, Andy Dowie (c), Chris McLaughlin: Calum Gallagher (Christian Nade 74), Kyle Hutton, Stuart Carswell, Tom Walsh (Chris Johnston 84), Mark Stewart, Greg Morrison (Dmitris Froxylias 66).
SUBS NOT USED: Dougie Hill, Alastair Roy, Kyle Prior, Jamie Ewings (GK).

Form last six matches

Dunfermline are unbeaten in their last nine matches. Dumbarton have lost eight of their last nine league matches. Prior to their home win against Dundee United on 7 April, and omitting the two results against Brechin City, their previous league win was at St Mirren on 2 December.

DUNFERMLINE
Inverness Caley Thistle (A) 2-2
Brechin City (H) 4-0
Falkirk (A) W 2-1
Livingston (H) W 1-0
Queen of the South (H) W 3-1
Dundee United (A) D 1-1

DUMBARTON
Falkirk (H) L 2-5
Inverness Caley Thistle (H) 0-1
Inverness Caley Thistle (A) 1-5
Morton (A) L 2-3
Dundee United (H) W 3-2
Dundee United (A) L 0-2

Recent Form

DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 4th
League Points: 55
League Record: P34 W15 D10 L9 GF54 GA33
Goal Difference: +21
Last Six League Match Form: WDWWWW

DUMBARTON
League Position: 9th
League Points: 30
League Record: P35 W7 D9 L19 GF27 GA59
Goal Difference: -32
Last Six League Match Form: WLLLLL

Last time out

DUNFERMLINE: (v Inverness Caley Thistle) Lee Robinson: Ryan Williamson, Jean-Yves M’Voto, Lee Ashcroft, Lewis Martin: Kallum Higginbotham(Declan McManus 66), James Vincent, James Craigen (Callum Morris 90), Fraser Aird (Joe Cardle 60): Andy Ryan, Nicky Clark (c).
SUBS NOT USED: Dan Armstrong, Nat Wedderburn, Jason Talbot, Cammy Gill (GK)

DUMBARTON (v Falkirk): Jamie Ewings: Dougie Hill, Craig Barr, David Smith, Grant Gallagher, Stuart Carswell, David Wilson (Kyle Hutton 60), Tom Walsh, Danny Handling (Liam Burt 61), Andy Stirling, Callum Gallagher (Iain Russell 71)
SUBS NOT USED: Dimitris Froxylias, Mark Stewart, Kevin Nisbet, Scott Gallacher (GK).

Other Championship Fixtures
Brechin City v Queen of the South
Dundee United v Livingston
Falkirk v St Mirren
Morton v Inverness Caley Thistle

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