Preview Hearts

Pars revival can start here. Out of the last twelve SPL games between Dunfermline and Hearts, the Pars have won just two of the encounters.

The 2-1 defeat at the hands of Hearts on the opening day of the 2006-07 season left the club with an element of optimism for the days ahead.  After all Hearts had split the Old Firm to qualify for the Champions League and were the Scottish Cup holders. Dunfermline could only have dreamt about three points in the opening fixture and to lose out by one goal was no indication of the kind of fortunes that were to follow.

Stephen Simmons scored the goal against his old club that drew the teams level after 62 minutes on 29th July but Michel Pospisal was to record a winner just 15 minutes later.

Out of the last twelve SPL games between Dunfermline and Hearts, the Pars have won just two of the encounters. Hearts have taken full points from seven games, with three draws.

July 2006 East End Park

Defeating Hearts has been near impossible for Dunfermline when they travel to the capital so the big chance has to be when the Jambos come north of the Forth but the Pars have only won three SPL games at home this season. everyone hopes that 2007 can be better than 2006, lets face it that should not be hard. Dunfermline won only five SPL matches at home in 2006; Aberdeen and Livingston last season and Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Dundee United this season. Victory over Hearts is very necessary given the nine point gap at the foot of the table but that is something that has not happened since September 2004.

Recent form favours Hearts although they have registered only one away win in the SPL since September. 

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Hibernian): Dorus de Vries (Roddy McKenzie 66); Greg Shields (c), Phil McGuire, Scott Wilson, Darren Young; Gary Mason, Souleymane Bamba (Andy Tod 80),  Stephen Simmons, Scott Muirhead; Stevie Crawford, Mark Burchill (Frederic Daquin 67)
SUBS: Scott Morrison, Greg Ross, Calum Woods, Iain Williamson
YELLOW CARD: Young (35), McGuire (36), Mason (40), Bamba (73)

HEARTS (v Kilmarnock): Craig Gordon; Robbie Neilson, Takis Fyssas, Christophe Berra, Zaliukas, Bruno Aguiar, Paul Hartley, Andrew Driver, Saulius Mikoliunas, Andrius Velicka (Juho Makela 86), Michal Pospisal (Roman Bednar 66)
SUBS: Steven Banks, Lee Wallace, Nerijus Barasa, Neil McCann, Hristos Karpidis
YELLOW CARD: Neilson

Referee appointed for this match is Craig Thomson.  Dunfermline last had him in charge in the SPL match against Celtic on 10th December.  He also handled the CIS Insurance Cup tie v Ayr and the SPL defeat at Falkirk in August. He has an average of 3.4 yellow cards per match this season.

C`mon ye Pars!