Preview Ayr United

Dunfermline are unbeaten in their last ten league matches and Ayr are unbeaten in the league since losing their opening match.

Just two weeks after knocking their hosts out of the William Hill Scottish Cup, this Saturday Dunfermline Athletic return to Somerset Park to meet Ian McCall's Ayr United this time in the Ladbrokes League One. As a consequence of Ayr United being without a match on Saturday Allan Johnston's side took the advantage and the three points they secured for overcoming Brechin City 3-1 allowed them to overtake Ayr, albeit on goal difference and having played one more game than their rivals.

This will be the 91st league meeting; the Pars have won 41 to Ayr's 27, 22 have been drawn.

The Pars have lost only three of the last 27 league meetings.  Ayr United have only won 6 of the last 47 games between the sides in all competitions stretching back to 1983. 

This season the sides have already met twice, once in the league at East End Park when goals from Alan Forrest, midway through the first half, and then Jordan Preston early in the second, secured a 2-0 victory. Dunfermline then won the Scottish Cup tie two Saturdays back and there is little doubt that the remaining three matches between Ayr United and Dunfermline will have a very important bearing on who will win the League One title.

The four matches between them last season were all won by Dunfermline. Faissal El Bakhtaoui's goal on the half hour led to the first victory and then a 4-2 win at home came after Andy Stirling and Allan Smith before the midway point in the first half. Scott McLaughlin got one back but Shaun Byrne restored the two goal advantage. Eleven minutes into the second half Alan Forrest made it 3-2 only for Allan Smith to score again in the following minute. In January the Pars won 2-0 at Somerset Park and then completed the slam of wins with a 2-1 win in March.

In the six matches between the teams the previous season Dunfermline won four and two were drawn. So the record is in the Fifers favour.

Dunfermline are unbeaten in their last ten league matches and Ayr are unbeaten in the league since losing their opening match 3-0 at Albion Rovers.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Brechin City): Sean Murdoch; Lewis Martin, Marc McAusland, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot; Michael Paton, Shaun Byrne, Josh Falkingham (c), Joe Cardle (David Hopkirk 69); Michael Moffat (Ryan Wallace 69), Faissal El Bakhtaoui (Mickael Antoine-Curier 78). 
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Spence, Shaun Rooney, Rhys McCabe, David Hutton (GK)

AYR UNITED (v Dunfermline): Greg Fleming; Andy Muir, Gerry McLauchlan, Andy Graham, Paddy Boyle (c); Michael Donald (Robbie Crawford 55), Ross Docherty, Jamie Adams, Allan Forrest (Ross Caldwell HT), Alan Trouten, Jordan Preston (Brian Gilmour 62).
SUBS NOT USED: Craig McCracken, Shaun Newman (GK)

Referee will be Andrew Dallas.

C'mon Ye Pars!

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