Preview Stirling Albion
Saturday, 4th Oct 2014After the bizarre match against Peterhead, Jim Jefferies team travel up the Forth to meet Stirling Albion on Saturday.
The Binos were play off winners last season and so returned to League One after two seasons in the lower league. This then will be the first meeting between the teams since March 2011 in a season that saw the teams both depart the Scottish First Division, the Pars upward and Stirling downwards.
| Pars v Stirling Albion: The Full League Record | ||||||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | |
| At East End Park | 29 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 63 | 34 |
| At Annfield Park / Forthbank Stadium | 31 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 46 | 51 |
| Division One (up to 1975) | 14 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 17 |
| Division Two (up to 1975) | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 22 | 26 |
| First Division (since 1975) | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 38 | 25 |
| Second Division (since 1975) | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 17 |
| TOTALS | 60 | 26 | 14 | 20 | 109 | 85 |
Dunfermline have had the upper hand in league matches against Stirling Albion but not by much. Stirling lost 4-1 in the most recent meeting between the teams, at East End Park in March 2011, on an afternoon when Paul McHale and Martyn Corrigan were sent off, but they did manage a 1-1 draw at Forthbank in a rearranged game four days earlier.
|
Milestones v Stirling Albion (Away) |
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Last League Victory |
28/08/10 |
5-1 |
Div 1 |
|
Last League Defeat |
27/10/07 |
0-3 |
Div 1 |
|
Best League Victory |
05/09/92 |
5-0 |
Div 1 |
|
Worst League Defeat |
11/08/79 |
0-4 |
Div 1 |
|
*Pre league reconstruction |
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Dunfermline defeated Stirling Albion 3-0 in the 2008-09 Alba Challenge Cup but these sides have only shared eight league games this century. The only Stirling win, the 3-0 game at Forthbank was under Manager Stephen Kenny and was one of a number of results that led to his departure.
| Last Eight League Games | ||||
| 2010/11 | ||||
| 19/03/11 | Dunfermline | 4-1 | Stirling Albion | First Division |
| 15/03/11 | Stirling Albion | 1-1 | Dunfermline | First Division |
| 30/10/10 | Dunfermline | 3-0 | Stirling Albion | First Division |
| 28/08/10 | Stirling Albion | 1-5 | Dunfermline | First Division |
| 2007/08 | ||||
| 25/03/08 | Stirling Albion | 2-3 | Dunfermline | First Division |
| 29/12/07 | Dunfermline | 2-1 | Stirling Albion | First Division |
| 27/10/07 | Stirling Albion | 3-0 | Dunfermline | First Division |
| 25/08/07 | Dunfermline | 2-1 | Stirling Albion | First Division |
Weekend wins for bottom club Airdrie at Ayr has tightened the league up with just nine points separating top and bottom. Pars sit second top while the Binos are second bottom. Dunfermline are a point behind leaders Forfar but Jim Jefferies’ side are still odds-on with the bookies to go on and take the title after finishing runners-up to Rangers last season.
| Stirling Albion | Dunfermline |
| Current League Position | |
| 9 | 2 |
| Form last six SPFL matches | |
| LWDLDL | WLWWLW |
| League Points | |
| 6 | 13 |
| Goal Difference | |
| -8 | +6 |
| League Record | |
| P7, W2, D0, L0 | P7, W4, D1, L2 |
Stirling have not won at home this season, their two wins came away at Elgin in the Petrofac Training Cup and in a thrilling 5-4 win at Stenhousemuir. The Pars have played four away games and have won once at Stranraer but suffered reversals at Forfar, St Mirren and Morton.
Last Saturday first-half goals from Stranraer's Jamie Longworth and Stephen Stirling condemned Greig McDonald’s men to their first away league defeat for six months as they slipped to second bottom in the table. Stirling have already lost at home to Ayr United (3-1) and Brechin City (5-0) but showed plenty of fight to recover from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw with Forfar.
| Recent Form this season - home / away | ||||||
| Stirling Albion (home) |
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Dunfermline (away) | ||||
| Forfar Athletic | D | 2-2 | Morton | L | 1-2 | |
| Brechin City | L | 0-5 | Stranraer | W | 2-1 | |
| Alloa Athletic | L | 1-2 | St Mirren | L | 1-2 | |
| Ayr United | L | 1-2 | Forfar Athletic | L | 0-2 | |
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Peterhead): Ryan Scully; Ryan Williamson, Gregor Buchanan, Lewis Martin, Ross Millen; Josh Falkingham (c)(James Thomas 73), Lewis Spence (Andy Stirling HT), Ryan Thomson (Shaun Byrne 80), Ross Forbes; Chogozie Ugwu, Michael Moffat
SUBS NOT USED: Stuart Urquhart, Alex Whittle, Ross Drummond, Ryan Goodfellow (GK)
STIRLING ALBION (v Stranraer ): Callum Reidford; Lee Hamilton, Chris Smith, Craig Wedderburn, Jamie Creaney, Willie Robertson (Alex Cunningham 62), Darren Smith, Darren L Smith (Dale Fulton 82), David McClune, Steven Doris, Gordon Smith (Lewis Coult 79)
SUBS NOT USED: Ross Forsyth, Ross McGeachie, Greg Paterson (GK).
Referee will be Andrew Dallas.
C'mon Ye Pars!
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