Preview Airdrie United
Tuesday, 30th Apr 2013Airdrie United have taken four of their 19 points off Dunfermline this season.
When Airdrie United last came to East End Park they came to play a team that was top of the league. They left with three points after a 3-1 win and then when the Pars travelled to the Excelsior Stadium on 9th March Airdrie were ahead before Ryan Wallace and Andy Kirk hit back to salvage a point for the Fifers. In all their guises the Lanarkshire club have always been fairly close to Dunfermline, there have been 100 league games with Airdrie having 34 wins to the Pars 36. Airdrie are already relegated but on Saturday should Cowdenbeath win at Hamilton, Dunfermline need to win as well to ensure they avoid the play offs.
Pars v Airdrie: The Full League Record | ||||||
|
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
At |
51 |
22 |
17 |
12 |
86 |
79 |
At Airdrie |
49 |
14 |
13 |
22 |
77 |
107 |
Division One (up to 1975) |
42 |
19 |
6 |
17 |
83 |
90 |
Division Two (up to 1975) |
12 |
1 |
3 |
8 |
24 |
42 |
Premier League (since 1975) |
4 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
8 |
First Division (since 1975) |
42 |
16 |
20 |
6 |
52 |
46 |
TOTALS |
100 |
36 |
30 |
34 |
163 |
187 |
Airdrie United`s win in January was their first league win at East End Park and their first in any game there since January 2006. That was in the very first game at East End Park a 4-3 defeat in the 2005-2006 Scottish Cup.
The Pars looked as good as through that day until an 89th minute penalty and a 92nd minute winner. The Diamonds team that day included a 29 year old Martin Hardie and a 21 year old Willie McLaren who is now back at Airdrie after stints at St Johnstone, Clyde and Queen of the South.
All fourteen meetings | ||||
2012/2013 | ||||
First Division | Airdrie United | 3-3 | Dunfermline | 09/03/13 |
First Division | Dunfermline | 1-3 | Airdrie United | 12/01/13 |
First Division | Airdrie United | 1-2 | Dunfermline | 25/08/12 |
2009/2010 | ||||
First Division | Airdrie United | 0-1 | Dunfermline | 01/05/10 |
First Division | Airdrie United | 1-1 | Dunfermline | 09/03/10 |
First Division | Dunfermline | 2-0 | Airdrie United | 06/03/10 |
First Division | Dunfermline | 2-0 | Airdrie United | 22/08/09 |
2008/2009 | ||||
First Division | Airdrie United | 1-1 | Dunfermline | 04/04/09 |
Scottish Cup | Airdrie United | 1-2 | Dunfermline | 17/02/09 |
First Division | Dunfermline | 1-1 | Airdrie United | 17/01/09 |
First Division | Airdrie United | 3-1 | Dunfermline | 04/11/08 |
First Division | Dunfermline | 0-0 | Airdrie United | 23/08/08 |
2007/2008 | ||||
Challenge Cup | Airdrie United | 0-2 | Dunfermline | 18/09/07 |
2005/2006 | ||||
Scottish Cup | Dunfermline | 3-4 | Airdrie United | 07/01/06 |
Just four league wins in 35 matches has caused Airdrie United relegation. Following their 15 point deduction Dunfermline have had to put up a fight to avoid joining Airdrie in the Second Division. Given that the Second Division teams they would meet in the play offs have been on winning form to clinch those play off places and tend to do well in play offs, no one at Dunfermline would welcome that test.
Dunfermline | Airdrie United |
Current League Position | |
8 | 10 |
League Results | |
LDLWWD | LLLLLL |
League Points | |
34 | 19 |
Goal Difference | |
+4 | -49 |
Home / Away League Record | |
P17, W6, D2, L9 | P17, W3, D2, L12 |
Cowdenbeath have 33 league points and a goal difference of -16 going into their last match of the First Division card. That means should Cowdenbeath draw and Dunfermline lose, it would still be Cowdenbeath who would go into the play offs.
Recent Form
Airdrie United have gone 15 games without a win and have only won four league games this season and the bookies are offering odds of 9-2 against them winning on Saturday. One snag is that the last team they defeated was Dunfermline on 12th January. Then the 3-3 draw in March means that Dunfermline are the last team to drop points to Airdrie.
Dunfermline have begun to show their determination to stay in the First Division. Since the administrator`s axing of players, the team have played three games and taken 7 out of a possible nine. Only the 95th minute equaliser at Firhill on Saturday denied them of maximum points.
Form last six league matches | ||||||
Dunfermline | Airdrie United | |||||
Partick Thistle (A) | D | 3-3 | Livingston (H) | L | 0-2 | |
Cowdenbeath (H) | W | Dumbarton (A) | L | 1-4 | ||
Morton (A) | W | 1-0 | Partick Thistle (H) | L |
1-2 | |
Hamilton (H) | L | Hamilton Accies (A) | L |
0-5 | ||
Livingston (A) | D | 2-2 | Morton (A) | L | 2-5 | |
Falkirk (H) | L | 0-2 | Falkirk (H) | L | 0-1 |
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Partick Thistle): Michal Hrivnak, Ross Millen, Kerr Young, John Potter (Ryan Wallace HT), Callum Morris, Alex Whittle; Shaun Byrne (Andy Geggan 62), Stephen Husband, Josh Falkingham (c), Allan Smith, Ryan Thomson (Grant Munro 91).
SUBS NOT USED: Ross Drummond, Ryan Goodfellow (GK).
AIRDRIE UNITED (v Raith Rovers): Kenny Arthur; Ricki Lamie, Chris O`Neil, Grant Drummond, Jamie Bain (Willie McLaren 59), Marc Warren (Jordan Allan 83), Liam Watt, Steven Hetherington, Jamie Barclay, Jordan Moore (Bobby Donnelly 45), Liam Coogans
SUBS NOT USED: Gregor Buchanan, Andrew Duncan (GK).
Referee will be Craig Thomson, only his second Pars game of the season. Thomson officiated in the 1-1 draw against Hamilton Accies in December.
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