Preview Forfar Athletic

Saturday 5th

MATCH INFORMATION
Dunfermline Athletic travel to meet Forfar Athletic at Station Park on Saturday, their first time back since the 3-1 defeat in the First Division Play offs last season.  Last time the emotions had Forfar on a high having made it to the play offs and the Pars in contrast, deeply disappointed that they had slipped up in their last league match of the season when they had failed to beat the already relegated Airdrie United at home. The defeat at Forfar was followed by a dramatic 6-1 win after extra time back in Fife, the memory of which the Loons will be keen to extinguish.

This time Forfar sit bottom of the table after losing 3-0 to Arbroath last Saturday and the Pars travel north on the back of a confidence building 5-1 demolition of Ayr United.

There have been 59 previous league fixtures between the clubs, this is the first since season 1988-89 when the Pars won two and Forfar one of the three games.  In total Dunfermline have won 37 league encounters to Forfar`s 15 and seven matches have been drawn.  The Pars kicked last season off at Station Park at the end of July and went out of the Alba Challenge Cup that day due to a 3-2 defeat. Then when the Play Off semi final took them back the Loons inflicted a 3-1 defeat.

Following their 1-0 last league win in 1988-89, Dunfermline`s last success over Forfar Athletic at Station Park was in the Challenge Cup in season 1995-96. Goals from Andy Tod and Greg Shaw saw the Pars through and immediately after that game Manager Bert Paton signed David Bingham from the Angus Club for a fee of £100,000.  That broke Forfar`s previous transfer fee record of £57,00 that Raith Rovers paid to them for Craig Brewster.

The Dunfermline team that beat Forfar in 1995:- Guido van de Kamp, Paul Fenwick (Andy Tod), Derek Fleming (Paul Kinnaird), Norrie McCathie, Craig Robertson, Paul Smith, Allan Moore, Jackie McNamara, Greg Shaw, Stewart Petrie, Mark Millar (Ivo den Bieman).

This match yet again pitches former Pars manager Dick Campbell in against his old club and he has former Pars players there in Iain Campbell (28) and Chris Templeman (33).

League Form

Dunfermline are unbeaten in their last five league games while Forfar have managed just one win at East Fife and a 3-3 draw against Airdrieonians at home on the opening day of the league season. That result followed their famous 1-0 Scottish Communities League Cup win over Rangers and a Challenge Cup victory at home against East Fife.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Ayr United): Ryan Scully; Ross Millen, Luke Johnston, Callum Morris, Alex Whittle (Kerr Young 66); Josh Falkingham (c), Shaun Byrne, Stephen Husband (Fayssal El Bakhtaoui 72), Andy Geggan (Ryan Thomson 80); Ryan Wallace, Robert Thomson.
SUBS NOT USED: Jordan Moore, Allan Smith,  Ryan Ferguson, Ryan Goodfellow (GK)

FORFAR ATHLETIC: (v Arbroath): Darren Hill, Daren Dods, Mark Baxter, Neil McCabe (Gavin Malin 45), Marvin Andrews, Omar Kader (Paul McManus 63), James Dale (Craig Smith 56), Iain Campbell, Dale Hilson, Chris Templeman, Gavin Swankie
SUBS NOT USED: Rab Douglas (GK), Ross Campbell, Gary Fusco, Stuart Malcolm

Referee will be Alan Muir.

Come on ye Pars!