Stats Amazing

At times like this it is well worth delving into the Stats Book to see what records might have been broken in this amazing season. There have been quite a few?

Article first printed in The Game 07/05/11

This season's achievement is the third time that Dunfermline Athletic has won the Scottish League First Division championship - the others were in season 1988/89 and 1995/96.

Despite the Pars' many promotions to higher divisions (in 1926,1934, 1955, 1958, 1973, 1979, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1996, 2000 and 2011), this is only the fifth Scottish League title for the club in its 125 years history.  Dunfermline won the Division 2 Championship in season 1925/26; the Second Division championship in season 1985/86; and the two aforementioned First Division titles.

Jim McIntyre becomes only the fourth manager in the club's history to win a national league title, joining Sandy Paterson, Jim Leishman (twice) and Bert Paton in that elite group.

Since the First Division was formed in 1975, fifteen different clubs have won the title (a bit more than have won the SPL!).  This is the Pars third title, joining St Mirren, Morton, Dundee and Hamilton Accies on the same number.  Most First Division titles is shared between St Johnstone and Falkirk with four each.

From drawing 0-0 with Ross County on 8th March until the final game of the season's 3-0 win over Falkirk, Dunfermline went twelve games undefeated in the First Division. This is Jim McIntyre's best run as a manager and equals the Pars best since they went 12 games without being beaten in 1996, the year Norrie McCathie died.

By the end of the 2010-2011 season, Jim McIntyre had been in charge of Dunfermline for 130 First Division games, the largest number of games in this division by any Pars manager.  Bert Paton, the previous record holder, was in charge for 116 First Division games.

Dunfermline's clean sheet against Falkirk meant that the 31 league goals conceded over the course of the season is the lowest number conceded by a Pars team in any First Division league campaign.

Gary Mason's appearance against Morton on 30th April 2011 was his 250th league appearance for the club.  In doing so he became only the fourteenth player in the history of the club to achieve this milestone.

The crowd for the Raith Rovers game on 23rd April of 11,052 is the highest for any match against Raith Rovers in the First Division, beating the previous best of 10,798 at East End Park on 2nd January 1993.

It is also the fifth highest crowd for Dunfermline in the First Division coming behind 13,357 (Falkirk, 1994); 13,183 (Airdrieonians, 1996); 12,976 (Meadowbank Thistle, 1989) and 12,889 (Falkirk, 1988).  Despite suggestions that it was the highest crowd since the stadium became all seated, this is also not true.  There have been a number of crowds exceeding 11,000, the highest of which was 11,507 against Rangers on 26th September 1998.

The 70 points amassed are not the club's highest points total ever for a season.  Bearing in mind that three points for a win only started in 1994/95, the Pars have achieved 71 points twice - in 1995/96 and 1999/00.

Jim McIntyre used 25 players in league matches this season, the same number that Jim Leishman used to win the title in 1988/89.  Bert Paton, on the other hand used 29 players in his 1995/96 campaign.