Preview Partick Thistle

Jags stand between Pars and Tennents Scottish Cup Semi Final place.

This will be the seventh time Dunfermline Athletic and Partick Thistle have been paired together in the Scottish Cup. Dunfermline have progressed in all the previous meetings, requiring a replay to go through only in 1967. The most recent meeting was at Firhill in the 2003-04 season when the Pars won 3-0 and went on to the Final.

Those of a vintage to recall the halycon years of Dunfermline Athletic will quickly recall that the Pars defeated Partick Thistle 1-0 at home en route to their 1968 Scottish Cup Final win over Hearts. In `68 Dunfermline defeated Celtic, Partick Thistle, St Johnstone and Hearts. It does not escape notice that Hearts have already been disposed of and St Johnstone and Celtic are still in the 2007 competition.

The most recent meeting between Dunfermline and Partick was in the 2004-05 CIS Insurance Cup when the Pars won through 3-1 on 22nd September 2004.

After away ties at Dingwall and Banff, Thistle have disposed of Ross County and Deveronvale but have now got another away day in Fife. They have yet to concede a goal in this season`s Tennent`s Scottish Cup but have won through 1-0 in both ties. Dick Campbell`s team sit fifth in the Scottish League Division One and got back on the rails last Saturday with a win at Almondvale.

Dunfermline have had serious problems winning games in the SPL but with two out of two in the Cup, against stiff opposition, it should be a week without the relegation threat taking top priority.

Last Time out:-

DUNFERMLINE (v Kilmarnock): Dorus de Vries; Greg Ross (Jim McIntyre 81), Phil McGuire, Scott Wilson (c), Stephen Glass; Jim O`Brien, Stephen Simmons (Bobby Ryan 76), Gary Mason, Adam Hammill; Stevie Crawford (Iain Williamson 69), Jim Hamilton
SUBS: Roddy McKenzie (GK), Souleymane Bamba, Scott Morrison, Jamie Harris

PARTICK THISTLE (v Livingston): Kenny Arthur; Barry Smith (Mark McChrystal 54), John Robertson, Darren Brady, Scott Boyd, Alan Archibald, Jimmy Gibson, Simon Donnelly (Brown Ferguson 69), Allan Russell, Mark Roberts, Billy Gibson (Stephen McConalogue)
SUBS NOT USED: Jonathan Tuffey, Pat Keogh

Referee for this match is Iain Brines returning to East End Park for another cup tie.  He was the referee in the Third Round match when Dunfermline knocked out Rangers 3-2.