Preview Stranraer
Thursday, 8th May 2014Jim Jefferies knows that the challenge is on when Saturday`s second leg is played
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS OF FIRST LEG
One down from the first leg of the Championship play off semi final Dunfermline now go into Saturday`s match against Stranraer needing to turn that around or else their season and promotion hopes are ended. Stranraer showed on Wednesday night that they would close the Pars down and try to stop them playing their passing game but Jim Jefferies has stressed that the tie is only at half time and his team have a full 90 minutes to claw back the deficit. The bigger park and the full time training he hopes will make all the difference.
Season 1994-1995 was the last season Dunfermline Athletic and Stranraer were in the same league. Out of 39 league and cup fixtures between the two, the Galloway opposition have won just three times and only one of those wins was at East End Park. Stranraer have drawn once in 19 visits and the match they won 4-2 was in the League Cup in season 1979-80. Goals by McAloon (65 pen) and Robertson (77) had put the Pars two up but Stranraer got it level to force extra time in which they scored another two.
|
Milestones v Stranraer (home) | |||
|
Last League Victory |
11/01/14 |
League One | |
|
Best Victory |
12/04/58 |
9-1 |
Div Two |
|
Only Defeat |
22/08/79 |
2-4 |
League Cup |
Dunfermline`s best result against Stranraer was in Division Two in April 1958 when a Charlie Dickson hat trick helped the Pars to a 9-1 scoreline. The drawn match in November 1983 was just five games into Jim Leishman`s managerial career.
| Dunfermline | Stranraer |
| Current League Position | |
| 2 | 3 |
|
Recent Results | |
| LDDWDL | DLLLWW |
| League Points | |
| 63 | 51 |
| Goal Difference | |
| +14 | 0 |
| Home / Away League Record | |
| P18, W9, D4, L5 | P18, W5, D5, L8 |
Just as on Wednesday night Stranraer have scored first in every league game against Dunfermline but thankfully Jim Jefferies team have done well to come back from behind on three of the four occasions. Martin Grehan is Stranraer`s top scorer with 20 goals this season.
| League Matches v Stranraer 2013-2014 | ||||
| Date | H/A | WDL | F-A | Scorers |
| 01/03/14 | A | L | 1-3 | [0-1] Grehan pen, [0-2] McKenna, [0-3] McKenna, [1-3] Grainger pen. |
| 11/01/14 | H | W | 3-2 | [0-1] Bell, [1-1] Thomson, [1-2] McKeown, [2-2] Byrne, [3-2] Shankland |
| 26/10/13 | A | W | 2-1 | [0-1] Longworth, [1-1] Husband, [2-1] Falkingham |
| 31/08/13 | H | W | 3-1 | [0-1] Grehan, [1-1] Geggan, [2-1] Johnston, [3-1] Smith. |
League Form
| Form last six home / away | ||||||
| Dunfermline (home) | Stranraer (away) | |||||
| Rangers | D | Rangers | L | 0-3 | ||
| Forfar Athletic | D |
0-0 |
Arbroath | L | 2-4 | |
| Brechin City | W | 2-1 | East Fife | D |
1-1 | |
| East Fife |
L |
Forfar Athletic | L |
0-1 | ||
| Stenhousemuir |
D |
0-0 | Ayr United | L | 0-5 | |
| Arbroath | W | 3-0 | Brechin City | W | 3-1 | |
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE: Ryan Scully; Ross Millen, Callum Morris, Jonathan Page, Danny Grainger; Shaun Byrne, Lewis Spence, Josh Falkingham (Stephen Husband 70), Andy Geggan (c)(Ross Forbes 42); Faissal El Bakhtaoui, Ryan Thomson (Lewis Martin 86).
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Goodfellow (GK), Ryan Williamson, Alex Whittle, Allan Smith.
STRANRAER: David Mitchell, Scott Robertson, David McGregor, Scott Rumsby, Mark Docherty, Grant Gallagher, Andrew Stirling, Steven Bell (c)(Stephen Stirling 90), Sean Winter (Ryan Borris 78), Jamie Longworth, Martin Grehan (David McKenna 61).
SUBS NOT USED: Adam Forde, Lloyd Kinnaird, Chris Fahey.
Referee is Crawford Allan
Ryan Borris is suspended for Saturday but then so too is Jonathan Page.
This is Stranraer`s fifth play off campaign and the previous four have all ended in failure, although the demise of Gretna and Rangers did see them profit from being promoted as beaten finalists on both occasions.
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