Preview St Mirren

There will be a great atmosphere at St Mirren on Monday night, hopefully a Pars win will shorten the journey home.

With both St Mirren and Dunfermline picking up points in their desperate situation, the scene is set for a real show down at Love Street.  Monday`s meeting with St Mirren is only the second match between the clubs in Paisley since 31st March 2001. It will also be the last meeting between the clubs for at least fifteen months since relegation is almost certainly the destiny for one of the two. Worryingly it is actually five games back since Dunfermline won there, in March 2000.

In league matches between the clubs, the Pars hold the advantage overall with 35 wins to Saints 28.

Record win at Love Street is 5-0 when Bert Paton (2), Hugh Robertson, Hugh Maxwell and Jim Fleming did the damage in season 66/67. Saints have won by four goals a few times; 6-2 being the biggest result in February 1959 and they even scored one of the Pars two. 

Dunfermline won the first meeting this season against Gus MacPherson`s side in September. Of the last dozen matches Dunfermline have won three, St Mirren four and five have been drawn.

Dunfermline have won three of their last SPL games and of course their cup result means that they have qualified for Europe. They badly need to retain that SPL staus if they want to put on a good show in Europe. First Division football would see them lose both players and any realistic chance that they would have on the higher stage.

St Mirren`s only win of 2007 came on Monday when they visited the Falkirk Stadium. With Dunfermline having narrowed the gap at the foot of the table to just one point Gus MacPherson`s side showed great desire in beating the Bairns 2-0. A Stewart Kean penalty and a goal early in the second half from Garry Brady was enough the ensure all three points were going back to Paisley. It was only their second away win since October but that puts immense pressure on the Pars to get a result in this the fourth last match of the campaign.

The Pars won at Inverness, lost at Motherwell but then defeated Hibs 1-0 and of course reached the Scottish Cup Final with a 1-0 win over Hibs in the replay last Tuesday. Defeat is unthinkable but a draw might well satisfy the home team. One point a piece would leave the margin at four, effectively five because of the Saints superior goal difference and there would be just nine points left at stake.

Teams last time out

DUNFERMLINE : Dorus de Vries; Greg Shields (c), Souleymane Bamba, Phil McGuire, Scott Muirhead; Jim O`Brien (Owen Morrison 69), Darren Young (Mark Burchill 77), Jamie McCunnie, Gary Mason, Adam Hammill (Greg Ross 89); Jim McIntyre.
SUBS: Roddy McKenzie (GK), Freddie Daquin.

ST MIRREN (v Falkirk): Chris Smith; David van Zanten, Ian Maxwell, John Potter, Kirk Broadfoot; Simon Lappin, Hugh Murray, Richard Brittain, Garry Brady, Alan Reid, John Sutton, Stewart Kean
SUBS NOT USED: Craig Hinchcliffe, Mark Corcoran, Billy Mehmet, Eddie Malone, Brian Mackay, Stephen McGinn, Paul Lawson

Phil McGuire serves out his two match suspension with this match but Scott Wilson will be available after his Scottish Cup suspension.  Tam McManus and Stephen Glass can return and both Jim Hamilton and Stevie Crawford played for the reserves in midweek.  Scott Thomson was withdrawn in the reserve match as a precaution when his thigh tightened and Stephen Simmons appears to be over his foot injury.  Selection will give Manager Stephen Kenny a happy problem. 

TICKET INFO FOR ST MIRREN

Dunfermline Athletic Fixtures:-
Monday 30th April v St Mirren (away)
Monday 7th May v Motherwell (home)
Saturday 12th May v Inverness Caley Thistle (away)
Saturday 19th May v Falkirk (home) 1:00pm kick off

St Mirren Fixtures:-
Monday 30th April v Dunfermline Athletic (home)
Saturday 5th May v Dundee United (away)
Saturday 12th May v Motherwell (away)
Saturday 19th May v Inverness Caley Thistle (home) 1:00pm kick off

SPL Split Explained