Preview Forfar Athletic

The Petrofac Training Cup Second Round: Tuesday 18th August, Station Park, Forfar kick off 7.30pm.

The Petrofac Training Cup Second Round draw paired the two Athletics together - Dunfermline at Forfar. Given the presence of Championship and League Two sides in the competition it was possibly the draw that few fans wanted. The fixture has been a regular occurrence over the last two seasons with eight matches between the clubs and another minimum of four coming up this season ahead.

Maybe another factor is that the Fifers have won only one of those eight meetings and that last win at Forfar in February 2014 is the only one there in the last seven visits.
As Allan Johnston's team has proven already records are there to be broken and certainly given current form then maybe Dick Campbell's team are in for a fight.

Dunfermline last met Forfar Athletic in the Challenge Cup in season 2012-2013 and that ended up with a 3-2 win for the Loons on their new artificial pitch. Ryan Wallace's 16th minute low shot cancelled out Omar Kader's opener. Then Andy Barrowman's 35th minute goal sent the Pars in ahead at the interval. Unfortunately in the second half Danny Denholm beat Paul Gallacher before the keeper tipped a Gavin Swankie cross into his own net midway through the second half. Barrowman had a super chance to bring it back all square but when that was squandered the Fifers fate was sealed.

The Pars team v Forfar Athletic in the Challenge Cup in 2012 was as follows:-
Paul Gallacher; Andy Geggan, Andy Dowie, John Potter, Jordan McMillan (c); Stephen Husband (Chris Kane 67), Ryan Thomson (Alex Whittle, 78), Josh Falkingham; Ryan Wallace (Andy Kirk 67), Andy Barrowman, Joe Cardle.

The previous Challenge Cup was seventeen years prior in 1995-96. Goals from Andy Tod and Greg Shaw saw the Pars through and immediately after that game Manager Bert Paton signed David Bingham from the Angus Club for a fee of £100,000. That broke Forfar's previous transfer fee record of £57,000 that Raith Rovers paid to them for Craig Brewster.The Dunfermline team that beat Forfar in 1995:- Guido van de Kamp, Paul Fenwick (Andy Tod), Derek Fleming (Paul Kinnaird), Norrie McCathie, Craig Robertson, Paul Smith, Allan Moore, Jackie McNamara, Greg Shaw, Stewart Petrie, Mark Millar (Ivo den Bieman).

When Dunfermline were held to a 0-0 draw at Station Park in the Scottish Cup on 25th January 1992 that marked Norrie McCathie's 400th appearance for the club. Jocky Scott's team went on to win the replay.

In season 2007-08 Dunfermline made the final of the Challenge Cup. This was the Club's sixth appearance in the competition and, despite a miserable league campaign, they repeated their cup form of 2004 and 2007 by reaching the final.

Against St Johnstone in the first final to be played at Dens Park, Dunfermline displayed all the defensive ineptitude that marked Stephen Kenny's reign at the Club. In an awful opening half hour, they fell three goals behind before a change of formation heralded an unlikely come back. Leading 3-2, the Saints looked shaky but held on to become the eleventh different club to win the cup. The attendance of 6446, a reflection of the sense of frustration felt by the Pars supporters who had turned up in great numbers for their club's three Hampden Park finals over the previous four years.

Recent Form

Allan Johnston has not failed to notice the strength of the Forfar defence which has yet to be breached in competition this season. Match that against the free scoring Pars with 22 goals in their last four games and it could be an intriguing tie.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Cowdenbeath): Sean Murdoch; Ryan Williamson, Callum Fordyce (c), Ben Richards-Everton, Lewis Martin; Michael Paton (Josh Falkingham 63), Shaun Byrne, Andy Geggan, Joe Cardle; Michael Moffat (Ryan Wallace HT), Faissal El Bakhtaoui (David Hopkirk 63).
SUBS NOT USED: Jason Talbot, Lewis Spence, John Potter, David Hutton (GK).

FORFAR ATHLETIC (v Albion Rovers): Rab Douglas; Mark Baxter, Kevin Nicoll, O'Brien, Iain Campbell; Martyn Fotheringham (Craig Smith 83), Derek Young (Gavin Malin 78), Bryan Hodge, Danny Denholm; Gavin Swankie, Chris Templeman (Kerr Hay 75)
SUBS NOT USED: Michael Dunlop, Michael Travis, James Yates, Jason King (GK).

Referee will be Crawford Allan.