Preview Raith Rovers

In the last Fife Derby at East End Park referee David Somers red carded Willie Gibson. This Saturday Rovers and David Somers return.

After nine and a half years of just the Fife Cup in terms of competitive matches between Raith Rovers and Dunfermline Athletic, the New Year fixture on 2nd January will be the fourth league and cup meeting in just over four months.  In August a very impressive showing by Jim McIntyre's team inflicted a 3-1 defeat over the Kirkcaldy club in the Co-operative Insurance Cup but on the following Saturday the Rovers won the league match 2-0.  When the sides met at Starks Park the Pars won 2-1 with a dramatic last gasp own goal from former Pars player, Craig Wilson.

Craig Wilson slides in front of David Graham - own goal!

There have been 84 league meetings between these teams.  Dunfermline have won 33, Raith 22 and 29 matches have been drawn. The best result was a 6-0 win in September 1962 when George Peebles hit a hat trick, Charlie Dickson a double and Alex Edwards scored.

In the last ten league fixtures the Pars have won half of them, Raith three and two ended all square. The most recent game on 7th November 2009 was a 2-1 away win for the Pars.  The Pars last league win at East End Park was in the SPL in 1997 which completed a complete whitewash over the Rovers that season.

When the teams met in August, Dunfermline sat on top of the table with 6 points from three games, the Rovers sat a point behind in third place. As we go into the new year, the Pars are still above the Rovers but Dunfermline are 6th to Rovers 7th and the clubs are separated by three points.

Raith have not won a league match since they lost at home to Dunfermline at the start of November.  Their away form started strongly with seven points from their first three matches on the road but now their last away win was at Partick Thistle on Halloween.

Since their run of eight games without defeat ended at Ayr on 5th December, the Pars have drawn their two subsequent matches, both at home against Ross County and Inverness Caley Thistle.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Inverness Caley Thistle): Greg Paterson; Greg Ross, Neil McGregor, Andy Dowie, Austin McCann; Willie Gibson (Calum Woods 89), Steven Bell (Nick Phinn 75), Alex Burke (c), David Graham; Steven McDougall (Joe Cardle 60), Andy Kirk.
SUBS NOT USED:  Graeme Holmes, Greg Fleming (GK).

RAITH ROVERS (v Airdrie United): David McGurn; Craig Wilson, Laurence Ellis, Mark Campbell, Thierry Gathuessi, Grant Murray, Stephen Simmons, Robert Sloan (Allan Walker 75), Darren Smith (Graham Weir 73), Gregory Tade, Javier Corredera
SUBS NOT USED: Gary O'Connor (GK), Johnny Russell

In the last Fife Derby at East End Park referee David Somers red carded Willie Gibson. This time the referee will be the same David Somers, his assistants Steve Pullar and Graeme Leslie.