Preview Partick Thistle

Premier Sports Cup: Firhill Stadium kick off 3.00pm, Saturday 10th July 2021

Admission to Saturday`s match against Partick Thistle will be for home supporters only. A stream will be available for Dunfermline fans costing £12.

The Euros will not have been completed but competitive football returns to Scotland as the Premier Sports Cup kicks off on Friday and Saturday. Dunfermline were drawn in Group H and their first two games are away from home. First up on Saturday is a trip to the Firhill Stadium to face Ian McCall’s Partick Thistle, proud winners of the trophy in 1971.

Partick won the League One title last season and regained their Scottish Championship status so this will be the first of a minimum of five games against them this season.

Milestones Partick (away)
Last Victory | 21/09/19 | 3-0 | Championship
Last Defeat | 08/12/18 | 0-2 | Championship
Best Victory | 20/04/66 | 6-2 | Div One*
Worst Defeat | 10/11/34 | 1-7 | Div One*
Last Goalless Draw | 01/04/89 | 0-0 | Div One
First Meeting | 23/10/26 | 1-5 | Div One*
*Pre league reconstruction

In the previous 109 meetings between the clubs Dunfermline have won 50, Partick 30 and 29 have been drawn but at Firhill the home side has the edge with 20 wins to 19.

In the League Cup this will be the first meeting since September 2004 when the Pars won 3-1 at home but this will be the first tie in Maryhill since August 1967 when the home side won 3-2.

League Cup Record v Partick Thistle
Total Won Drawn Lost Scored Conceded
Home 5 4 1 0 15 6
Away 3 1 1 1 5 3
Total. 8 5 2 1 20 9

Last Time at Firhill
Partick Thistle 1 Dunfermline 1
Tuesday 10th March 2020, Scottish Championship

This was the last match both teams played before the Covid lockdown. Thistle were battling to avoid relegation and were jubilant when referee Steven Kirkland awarded a 19th minute penalty. Jon Afolabi defended a Thistle corner but in his efforts to clear brought down James Penrice. Captain Stuart Bannigan approached the spot kick from an angle on right, sent the shot right and Owain Fôn Williams stretched to his left to save.

It had been one sided for the first 45 minutes and the Fifers were fortunate to go in all square at half time considering the amount of pressure from Thistle and the penalty saved by Fôn Williams.

As the match entered its final quarter, Afolabi was sent up the left by Turner but he just could find anyone with a cross except Penrice whose header just cleared the bar. Thomas’s 72nd minute corner from the left was a daisycutter and MURRAY met it brilliantly to melt the ball home. 0-1

To go ahead and then hold out would have been a bit smash and grab but would we have complained?

In the fourth minute of added time Brian GRAHAM rose to head in the late late equaliser with Fôn Williams complaining bitterly that he had been fouled and that the goalscorer had been offside when the cross came in that led to the equaliser. 1-1.

Thistle put in a huge performance and probably deserved something from it but definitely not in the manner they did.

PARTICK THISTLE: Scott Fox: Lewis Mayo, Tom O’Ware, Darren Brownlie, James Penrice (Dario Zanatta 73): Reece Cole, Stuart Bannigan, Tommy Robson, Shea Gordon, Zak Rudden, Brian Graham.
SUBS NOT USED: Jamie Barjonas, Lewis Mansell, Darian MacKinnon, Steven Saunders, Lee O’Connor, Jamie Sneddon (GK)

DUNFERMLINE: Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Lewis Martin, Danny Devine, Euan Murray: Dom Thomas, Paul Paton (c), Kyle Turner (Joe Thomson 72), Ethan Ross (Josh Edwards HT): Gabby McGill (Tom Beadling HT), Jonathan Afolabi
SUBS NOT USED: Matthew Todd, Lewis McCann, Miller Fenton, Cammy Gill (GK)

Last Six Matches

Thistle scored thirteen goals in their last four home matches without conceding a single goal. They lost only one match at home last season (0-1 v Peterhead).

Dunfermline’s two wins in April that secured their play off place came after a run of seven matches without a win. The new manager Peter Grant will want to see his team get off to a good start and with several players likely to make their competitive debuts for the club, they too be wanting to impress.

DUNFERMLINE
Raith Rovers (A) 0-2
Raith Rovers (H) D 0-0
Alloa Athletic (A) L 0-1
Arbroath (H) W 4-3
Queen of the South (H) W 3-1
Dundee ( H) D 0-0

PARTICK THISTLE
Montrose (A) L 2-3
Falkirk (H) W 5-0
Cove Rangers (A) D 2-2
Airdrieonians (H) W 1-0
Dumbarton (A) W 2-0
Montrose (H) W 5-0

Last Season

DUNFERMLINE
Scottish Championship
League Position: 4th
League Points: 39
Goal Difference: +4
Away League Record: P13 W1 D6 L6 GF14 GA21
Last Six Match Form: DWWLDL

PARTICK THISTLE
League One
League Position: 1st
League Points: 40
Goal Difference: +22
Home League Record: P13 W6 D4 L1 GF18 GA11
Last Six Match Form: WWWDWL

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Raith Rovers): Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Paul Watson, Euan Murray (c)(Fraser Murray 85), Josh Edwards: Dom Thomas, Steven Whittaker, Lewis Mayo (Scott Banks 70), Ewan Henderson: Kevin O’Hara, Craig Wighton (Declan McManus 70).
SUBS NOT USED: Kerr McInroy, Kyle Macdonald, Vytas Gašpuitis, Cammy Gill (GK)

PARTICK THISTLE (v Montrose): Kieran Wright: Richard Foster, Ryan Williamson, Ciaran McKenna, Mouhamed Niamh, Charlie Reilly (Zak Rudden 65), James Penrice, Ross Maciver (Billy Owens 77), Shea Gordon (Scott Tiffoney 77), Joe Cardle (Connor Murray 77), Blair Lyons (James Lyon 45)
SUBS NOT USED: Andy Rodden, Mason McCready, Gospel Ocholi, Jamie Sneddon (GK).

Ryan Williamson has since left Thistle and gone to Falkirk while Joe Cardle signs for Kelty Hearts but there are still two former Pars at Thistle who could play against their old club in the shape of Steven Bell and Kyle Turner.

Referee for this opening group match of the Premier Sports Cup will be Bobby Madden.

Other Group H match
Dumbarton v St Mirren

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