Preview Albion Rovers

Dunfermline's games against the Lanarkshire club have tended to be high scoring games. The Pars have scored 19 goals in the last five encounters without reply.

The final game of the first quarter of the season sees Albion Rovers visit East End Park on Saturday for the first time in over 15 years. Former Pars midfielder Darren Young is their player/manager and the club has to be pleased with the largely solid start to the season so far. They currently sit in joint third spot in the Ladbrokes League One table along with Forfar Athletic and Airdrieonians. Dunfermline are just three points ahead of the Coatbridge club in second place.

Albion Rovers were founded in October 1882 with players drawn from two junior teams - the Rovers and The Albion. It was not until 1903 when they entered the Scottish League playing in Division Two. Dunfermline first met Albion Rovers on 14th September 1912 when the Pars ran out comfortable 5-2 winners. The following season Albion Rovers finished runners up - one point ahead of the Pars.

In season 1919/20 they were elected to the First Division and in the same year they moved to their current home, Cliftonhill. This was perhaps The Wee Rovers most successful period in their history, reaching the Scottish Cup final in 1920 only to lose 3-2 to Kilmarnock in front of a crowd of 95,000, a record for the time..

With their relegation in 1922/23 season it meant that they would face Dunfermline once more, with the Fifers taking three points out of four but finishing three points and two places behind fifth placed Albion. In season 1933/34, Albion pipped Dunfermline to the Second Division title. They had to thank their 2-1 victory at East End Park on 17th March - when Dunfermline were top of the league and undefeated at home - for this achievement.

After the Second World War Albion found themselves, like Dunfermline, in Division 'B' and in 1947/48 they were promoted as runners up to East Fife. One season on they were back in the bottom league. They finished fourth in the Second Division in 1979/80 and in 1988/89 won that league. Albion Rovers won League Two last season by a ten point margin and a goal difference of +28. Last season's League Two champions find themselves up against the Pars in the league for the first time since season 1985/86.

Of the 70 previous league matches, the Pars have won 36, 12 have been drawn and 22 lost. In the last dozen meetings Dunfermline have won six, Albion two and four games have been drawn

The last two Saturday's have seen Albion pick up their first consecutive League One victories since gaining promotion last season, Rovers recording two fine wins over Stranraer and Stenhousemuir.  Darren Young said that he feels that all his players played their part, he praised his squad for having good belief and a real togetherness. He commented:-

"I thought we knocked the ball about well, looked confident and we had a lot of possession, but the longer the first half went on I was thinking to myself, if we don't take all the chances we are creating we might get punished, but luckily enough we got the breakthrough."

Sandy Clark left Albion Rovers in the summer to join Allan Johnston's management team at Dunfermline but the most famous link between the clubs is Jock Stein. Stein played 94 times for Albion between 1942 and 1950 and was part of the team that won Division 'B' in 1948.

In addition to Darren Young the current Albion squad includes former Pars players Andy Barrowman (who scored two last week), Paul Willis and Scott McBride.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Airdrieonians): Sean Murdoch; Andy Geggan (c), Lewis Martin, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot; Rhys McCabe, Shaun Byrne (Mickael Antoine-Curier HT), Josh Falkingham (Michael Moffat 51), Joe Cardle; Ryan Wallace, Faissal El Bakhtaoui.
SUBS NOT USED: Jason Talbot, Lewis Spence, James Thomas, John Potter, David Hutton (GK).

ALBION ROVERS (v Ayr United): Ross Stewart; Alan Reid (Ricardo Talu 38), Michael Dunlop, Ross Dunlop, Kyle Turnbull; Josh Mullin, Gary Fisher, Ross Davidson, Ally Love (Scott McBride 79), Andy Barrowman (Callum McRobbie 78), Paul Willis
SUBS NOT USED: Mark Ferry, Darren Young, Blair Lochhead (GK)

Referee will be Mike Roncone who was last at East End Park for the Jock Stein Memorial match against Celtic Legends.