Preview Airdrieonians

The Pars have only won one of the last six meetings, that was a 3-0 win at home in August last year.

Airdrieonians visit East End Park on Saturday in search of a win that would take them level on points with their hosts. Meanwhile, the Pars who have won nine of their 12 matches this season are also looking upwards hoping to regain the top spot from Ayr United.

In all their guises the Lanarkshire club have always been fairly close to Dunfermline, there have been 109 league games with Airdrie having 39 wins and the Pars 39.

The Pars have only won one of the last six meetings, that was a 3-0 win at home in August last year. That day the Pars were two up at half time thanks to goals from Gozie Ugwu and Michael Moffat before Gozie added a third nine minutes from full time. The 3-1 defeat at Airdrie in December came through goals from Bryan Prunty (3),  Nathan Blockley (55), and Marc Fitzpatrick 3-0 with Gregor Buchanan scoring a late goal against the club he left in the summer to come to East End Park.

The next two meetings yielded only one point from a 2-2 draw at East End Park.  James Lister put the Diamonds one up after only ten minutes, a Ross Millen penalty got the Pars back level before Bryan Gilfillan restored the visitors lead in 11th minute of the second half. Michael Moffat's equaliser fifteen minutes from time saved a point for John Potter's team.

Then in the last match of the season a last minute goal at the Excelsior Stadium won the game for Airdrieonians. Andy Geggan had put the Pars ahead, Jordan Morton equalised, Bob McHugh made it 2-1 just after the break but Josh Falkingham equalised only to be undone by another from McHugh at the end.

Of the last dozen meetings Dunfermline have won four, Airdrie six and two games have been drawn. 

Airdrieonians defeat at home last weekend to Ayr United was their first defeat in the last six games.  So far this season only Forfar Athletic and Stenhousemuir have taken full points off them.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Dundee United): Sean Murdoch; Andy Geggan (c), Lewis Martin, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot (Rhys McCabe 81); Michael Paton, Shaun Byrne (David Hopkirk 91), Joe Cardle; Ryan Wallace (Michael Moffat 67), Faissal El Bakhtaoui.
SUBS NOT USED: Mickael Antoine-Curier, James Thomas, John Potter, David Hutton (GK).

AIRDRIEONIANS (v Ayr United): Neil Parry; Jamie Bain, Sean Crighton, Alan Lithgow, Chris O'Neil (Bryan Prunty 99), Liam Watt, Scott Smith, Marc Fitzpatrick, Caolan McAleer (Nicolas Sumsky 88), David Cox, Taylor Morgan (George Hunter 80).
SUBS NOT USED: Nicky Cadden, Adam Brown, Scott Stewart, Rohan Ferguson (GK)

Gary Bollan will be without David Van Zanten and Jim Lister while Taylor Morgan will be assessed after his injury last week. Jordan Morton and Kevin McBride may return to the squad for selection.

Referee will be John McKendrick.

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