Preview Falkirk

Ladbrokes Championship (home) Saturday 13th April 2019, kick off 3.00pm at East End Park

Dunfermline against Falkirk is the big derby game for both clubs and both sets of fans but if the Bairns don’t watch out it might not happen next season.

There have been 101 league meetings between Dunfermline and Falkirk. So far the Bairns have the most success, they have 44 wins to the Pars 35 and 22 have been drawn. Like they did in November when they came to East End Park, Falkirk sit at the foot of the league. Form and predictability in the Championship is extremely difficult to achieve, proven that day with a 1-0 win away from home.

Now with only four matches remained Falkirk are back at the bottom of the league and are one of five clubs separated by four points. Yes it’s a derby but motivation will be driven by the desire to retain Championship status.

Meanwhile the Pars, not having given up on a play off place, are still seeking to take full points from the visit of Ray McKinnon’s Falkirk in the hope that they might go to Inverness on the final day of the season with their ambitions still alive.

Dunfermline v Falkirk: The Full League Record
At East End Park | P49 | W19 | D12 | L19 | F67 | A62
At Brockville | P36 | W10 | D7 | L19 | F39 | A60
At Falkirk Stadium | P15 | W6 | D3 | L6 | F17 | A16
TOTALS | P101 | W35 | D22 | L44 | F123 | A138

Milestones Falkirk (Home)
Last League Victory | 02/01/18 |2-0 | Championship
Last League Defeat | 10/11/18 |0-1 | Championship
Best League Victory | 13/04/66 | 6-1 | Division 1
Worst League Defeat | 02/01/52 | 0-6 | Division 2

Dunfermline have won five of the last eight meetings but that followed a run of ten meetings without a Pars win.

Last 12 Matches v Falkirk
29/12/18 (A) 4-2 W Championship
10/11/18 (H) 0-2 L Championship
06/04/18 (A) 2-0 W Championship
07/04/18 (A) 2-1 W Championship
02/01/18 (H) 2-0 W Championship
04/11/17 (A) 1-1 D Championship
05/10/17 (A) 0-2 L Irn Bru Cup
19/08/17 (H) 3-1 W Championship
22/04/17 (H) 1-2 L Championship
04/02/17 (A) 0-2 L Championship
26/12/16 (H) 1-1 D Championship
15/10/16 (A) 1-2 L Championship

Last meeting at East End Park
Ladbrokes Championship 10 November 2018
Dunfermline 0 Falkirk 1

This was yet another home match without a win for the Pars. Fourteen shots from Dunfermline and three from their opponents but it turned out to be Falkirk’s second league win of the season

The Bairns had served warning before duly scoring what was to the only goal of the game in 71 minutes when Zak RUDDEN showed how to take and finish chances. Having received the lay off from Paul Paton the 18 year old player on loan from Rangers, released a strike from 25 yards out that flew into bottom right of the Dunfermline goal and Robinson had little hope of halting it.

DUNFERMLINE: Lee Robinson: Ryan Williamson, Lee Ashcroft (c), Danny Devine, Jackson Longridge: Kallum Higginbotham (Aidan Connolly 76), Malaury Martin, Joe Thomson, Myles Hippolyte (Robbie Muirhead 76): Andy Ryan, Aidan Keena (Faissal El Bakhtaoui 35).
SUBS NOT USED: James Craigen, Lewis Martin, James Vincent, Cammy Gill (GK)
YELLOW CARD: Hippolyte (10), Devine (32), Higginbotham (39)

FALKIRK: Leo Fasan: Lewis Kidd, Jordan McGhee (c), Scott Harrison, Patrick Brough (Tom Dallison 83): Tommy Robson, Paul Paton, Prince Buaben, Andrew Irving, Deimantas Petravicius: Zak Rudden.
SUBS NOT USED: Joe McKee, Marcus Haber, Dennon Lewis, Ruben Sammut, Mustapha Dumbuya, Robbie Mutch (GK).

Form Last Six Matches

DUNFERMLINE
Ross County (A) L 0-1
Partick Thistle (A) D 2-2
Ayr United (H) L 0-1
Dundee United (H) L 0-1
Alloa Athletic (A) W 1-0
Queen of the South (H) W 1-0

FALKIRK
Alloa Athletic (H) L 1-2
Queen of the South (A) D 1-1
Inverness Caley Th (A) D 0-0
Partick Thistle (H) D 1-1
Ross County (A) L 1-2
Ayr United (H) W 2-0

Recent Form

Since Dunfermline’s run of five winning games, they have lost three of their next four games by 1-0. Last Saturday they went two up against Partick Thistle. Only for the battling Jags to claw it back to a draw.

Falkirk have won just one of their last eight league matches but they have only lost two of their last thirteen. Draws are costing them, taking just one point in five of their last eight.

DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 5th
League Points: 41
Goal Difference: -2
Home League Record: P16 W5 D3 L8 GF13 GA16
Last Six League Match Form: WWLLDL

FALKIRK
League Position: 10th
League Points: 32
Goal Difference: -10
Away League Record: P16 W5 D4 L7 GF17 GA20
Last Six League Match Form: WLDDDL

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Ross County): Ryan Scully: James Craigen, Danny Devine, Lee Ashcroft (c), Jackson Longridge: Tom Beadling: Louis Longridge (Faissal El Bakhtaoui 34), Matthew Todd (Lewis McCann 82), Ryan Blair: Myles Hippolyte (Robbie Muirhead 70), Bruce Anderson
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Williamson, Mark Durnan, James Vincent, Cameron Gill (GK)

FALKIRK (v Alloa Athletic): Harry Burgoyne: Jordan McGhee, William Edjenguele, Paul Dixon, Paul Paton, Deimantas Petravicius, Ian McShane (Aaron Jarvis 45), Abdul Osman (Nikolai Todorov 89), Mark Waddington (Ross MacLean 80), Ciaran McKenna, Zak Rudden.
SUBS NOT USED: Tommy Robson, Patrick Brough, Shayne Lavery, David Mitchell (GK).

Referee will be Willie Collum.

Other Championship Fixtures
Dundee United v Ayr United (Friday night)
Alloa Athletic v Queen of the South
Ross County v Partick Thistle

Related Stories

• Supporters` Information v Falkirk
• Ross County 1 Dunfermline 0
• Partick Thistle 2 Dunfermline 2
• Dunfermline 0 Ayr United 1