Preview Raith Rovers

The Pars first competitive game of the new season is in the First Round of the Petrofac Training Cup.

The Pars first competitive game of the new season is in the First Round of the Petrofac Training Cup. A home tie against the holders, Raith Rovers and Saturday's cup tie could be Dunfermline's only Fife Derby of the season. Although Dunfermline and the Rovers met in the Second Round of this cup last season, cup ties between the clubs are fairly rare occurrences with just four in the last 40 years, all but one won by Dunfermline.  The most recent cup meeting in August last year saw the Kirkcaldy side win 2-0 at East End Park

In the league Dunfermline lead Raith 39 to 32 on wins and in cups it is all square at 6-6.

The Petrofac Training Cup is the name given to what is the SFL Challenge Cup is now in its 24th season of competition since its inauguration in 1990/91 to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish Football League.  Initially it was sponsored by DIY retailers B&Q, who also gave financial backing top the SFL, the Fair Play League and the national Schoolboys' Cup, the B&Q Centenary Cup was intended as a one off tournament but its popularity ensured that it was retained as simply the B&Q Cup.

The notion that this first season was 'popular' was largely down to the fact that the semi final between Kilmarnock and Dundee drew 7,933 spectators to Rugby Park (still a record for the competition outside of a final), while the final itself (when Dundee beat Ayr United 3-2 after extra time) attracted an excellent crowd of 11,506 at Fir Park.  The reality was that the average gate of the B&Q Challenge Cup, omitting the final, was only 1664.

Dunfermline Athletic's first involvement in the B&Q Cup was in 1992-93 with the 3-0 defeat at Arbroath marking an ignominious debut for Jackie McNamara.  The Pars reached the semi final of the competition in 1994-95 before falling to Dundee at East End Park before a crowd of 7154, a club record in the B&Q Cup.

Dunfermline met Forfar Athletic in the Challenge Cup in season 1995-96. Goals from Andy Tod and Greg Shaw saw the Pars through and immediately after that game Manager Bert Paton signed David Bingham from the Angus Club for a fee of £100,000.  That broke Forfar's previous transfer fee record of £57,00 that Raith Rovers paid to them for Craig Brewster.

It looked like the competition had reached the end of the road when it was shelved in 1998-99 but new sponsors were found and the competition reborn as the Bells Challenge Cup in 1999-2000. The Pars returned to the competition after a four year absence and made a sharp exit, losing a first round match to Morton on penalties after drawing 2-2.

In season 2007-08 Dunfermline made the final of the Challenge Cup.  This was the Club's sixth appearance in the competition and, despite a miserable league campaign, they repeated their cup form of 2004 - 2007 by reaching the Final. The Pars became the twentieth different club to do so, a pretty good representation of the SFL.

Against St Johnstone in the first final to be played at Dens Park, Dunfermline displayed all the defensive ineptitude that marked Stephen Kenny's reign at the Club. In an awful opening half hour, they fell three goals behind before a change of formation heralded an unlikely come back.  Leading 3-2, the Saints looked shaky but held on to become the eleventh different club to win the cup.  The attendance of 6446, a reflection of the sense of frustration felt by the Pars supporters who had turned up in great numbers for their club's three Hampden Park finals over the previous four years.

In 2008-09 Dunfermline defeated Stirling Albion but lost out 2-0 to Queen of the South.  The following season Queen of the South again inflicted an East End Park knock out 2-1 after a 5-0 First Round win over Dumbarton who were under the management of one, Gerry McCabe.

In 2012-13 the Ramsden Cup was a short lived affair for the Pars since Forfar Athletic knocked them out 3-2 in the First Round. Last season the Pars made it to the Second Round courtesy of a 3-1 win at Central Park, Cowdenbeath in the opening match of the 2013-14 season.

Recent Form

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Berwick Rangers): Ryan Scully (Ryan Goodfellow 84); Ryan Williamson (Ross Millen 74), Jonathan Page (Kerr Young HT), Gregor Buchanan (Andy Geggan, HT), Lewis Martin, Ross Drummond (Alex Whittle HT); Shaun Byrne (Lewis Spence 74), Ryan Thomson (Josh Falkingham HT), Andy Stirling (Ross Forbes 51), Ryan Wallace, Michael Moffat (Allan Smith 74).

RAITH ROVERS (v Inverness Caley Thistle): Kevin Cuthbert; Jason Thomson, Rory McKeown, Paul Watson, Ross Perry, Liam Fox, Mark Stewart, Martin Scott, Christian Nade, Lewis Vaughan, Ryan Conroy
SUBS: Elliot, Grant Anderson, Ross Callachan, Laurie Ellis, Ross Matthews, David Bates, Calum Robertson, Ross Laidlaw (GK), David McGurn (GK).

Referee will be