Preview Brechin City

There is an opportunity for the Pars to reclaim pole position for the first time since October.

Dunfermline welcome Brechin City back to East End Park this Saturday. The league season opened with a resounding 6-1 win at Glebe Park and although the Angus side sit bottom of Ladbrokes League One they have recorded wins at Peterhead and Forfar this season and held league leaders Ayr United to a draw last month. 

With Ayr United sidelined this weekend while their schedule opponents Cowdenbeath are involved in a Scottish Cup replay at Arbroath, there is an opportunity for the Pars to reclaim pole position for the first time since October.

There have been 46 league meetings between these teams; the Fifers have won 30, Brechin City 8 and 8 matches. There there have been some high scoring games and the Pars have only ever lost four home games against their Angus opponents but one of those defeats was the last time Brechin visited on 24th February this year. That Brechin win was their first at East End Park since April 1987.

The best Pars result was an 10-1 win in 1929 but since that first ever fixture between the clubs, Dunfermline have home scorelines such as 8-0 twice, 6-2, 8-0 and 6-1. In Division One on 30th April 1994, the Fifers won 2-1 courtesy of goals from Stewart Petrie and Andy Tod.  When Brechin returned to Dunfermline after a gap of almost twenty years in 2013-14, they lost 3-1 with Ryan Wallace scoring a double and then in March 2014 won 2-1 when a Ross Millen penalty in the last minute ensured the three points stayed in Fife.

Last season Brechin City took four points away from their matches at East End Park.  A goalless draw on the opening day of the league campaign was followed by a 1-0 Brechin win on a Tuesday night in February.

Brechin City started the season by losing their first eight competitive matches. They were knocked out of the Petrofac Training Cup at home to Peterhead and exited the League Cup the following Saturday at Ayr. In September back to back wins over Peterhead and Cowdenbeath looked as though they might have turned the corner in terms of form but in the eight games since then they have won only one, drawn one and lost six.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Ayr United): Sean Murdoch; Lewis Martin, Marc McAusland, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot; Michael Paton, Josh Falkingham, Andy Geggan (c), Joe Cardle, Michael Moffat, Faissal El Bakhtaoui.
SUBS NOT USED: David Hopkirk, Lewis Spence, Shaun Rooney, Shaun Byrne, Rhys McCabe, Paul Joseph Crossan, David Hutton (GK).

BRECHIN CITY (v Airdrieonians): Graeme Smith; Darren McCormack, Darren Dods, Ross Perry (Gary Fusco (38), Paul McLean; James Dale (Robert Thomson 69), Craig Molloy, Tiffoney (Smith 82), Willie Dyer, Isaac Layne, Andy Jackson.
SUBS NOT USED: Jamie Montgomery, David Weatherston, Craig Johnston, Patrick O'Neil

Referee will be Colin Steven.

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