Preview Airdrie United
Wednesday, 20th Aug 2008First league meeting against Airdrie United
Next up in the First Division programme come Airdrie United. This will be the first league meeting between the re-invented Broadwood side and the Pars. The only two previous meetings have been the 4-3 defeat at East End Park in the 2005-2006 Scottish Cup in and the 2-0 Challenge Cup win in Lanarkshire last season.
Having lost out on promotion in the play offs at the end of last season, Airdrie United are in the First Division as a result of the demise of Gretna. So far they have drawn with both Queen of the South and Dundee and like the Pars lost 1-0 at Firhill to Thistle. There are no easy matches in the First Division and it is likely that Dunfermline will face the same difficulties with the new boys as their fellow top five finishers last season.
| RESULTS THIS SEASON | |||||
| Dunfermline Athletic | Airdrie United | ||||
| 26/07/08 | Stirling Albion (H) | 3-0 | 26/07/08 | Dumbarton (H) | 3-2 |
| 02/08/08 | Partick Thistle (A) | 0-1 | 02/08/08 | Queen of South (A) | 0-0 |
| 05/08/08 | Peterhead (A) | 2-0 | 05/08/08 | Ross County (A) | 3-2 |
| 09/08/08 | Queen of South (H) | 2-1 | 09/08/08 | Partick Thistle (H) | 0-1 |
| 16/08/08 | St Johnstone (A) | 3-0 | 16/08/08 | East Fife (A) | 3-0 |
| 20/08/08 | Queen of South (H) | 0-2 | 16/08/08 | Dundee (H) | 0-0 |
Despite their results Airdrie United sit second bottom of the First Division while the Pars sit happily second top. The home side should be buoyed by their fine victory at McDiarmid Park but will be without Calum Woods (dead leg). Scott Thomson and Sol Bamba fulfilled the central defensive needs on Wednesday night in the Challenge Cup so Jim McIntyre is well covered in that department. Kevin Harper came off at Perth with a recurrence of his hamstring injury so he will be doubtful too.
Jim McIntyre played with Airdrie boss Kenny Black and Macca expects his side to be fit and strong. The strikeforce of Steven Lynch and Paul Di Giacomo he already knows will need careful watching.
Last Time Out in SFL
DUNFERMLINE (v St Johnstone): Paul Gallacher; Calum Woods, Greg Shields, Scott Wilson (c), Austin McCann; Kevin Harper (Iain Williamson 23), Nick Phinn, Stephen Glass, Alex Burke; Andy Kirk (Scott Muirhead 84), Graham Bayne.
SUBS: Paul Willis, Stuart Dearden, Callum Reidford
AIRDRIE UNITED (v Dundee): Stephen Robertson; Marc Smyth (c), Matthew Hazley, Kevin McDonald, Bobby Donnelly, David Nixon (Scott McLaughlin), Steven McDougall (Darren Smith), Stephen McKenna, Paul Di Giacomo, Simon Lynch (Stuart Noble), Joe Cardle
SUBS NOT USED: Stephen Maguire, Lee Hollis
Referee will be Craig Charleston. In his three matches this season he has already dished out 12 yellow and two red cards. In 2007-08 101 yellow and 8 reds in 23 matches, in 2006-07 64 yellows and 3 red in 20 matches.
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