Brechin City 0 Dunfermline 3
Saturday, 23rd Sep 2017Ladbrokes Championship: Hopkirk starts in place of injured Cardle. Lee Ashcroft (28) 0-1: Declan McManus (55) 0-2: Nicky Clark (70) 0-3:
Brechin put up a good fight but Dunfermline`s quality and the relentless danger created by the overlapping Ryan Williamson supplied the Pars with three goals and three points to deservedly take back down the A90.
Dunfermline travelled to Glebe Park, Brechin as the top of the table Fifers met the foot of the table Angus outfit. Both sides made one enforced change. Allan Johnston brought in David Hopkirk for Joe Cardle following his hamstring injury early in the previous match. For the hosts Darren Dods replaced Aron Lynas with Chris O`Neil following his red card against Dumbarton.
Brechin City started former Dunfermline youth Finn Graham and last year`s squad player Euan Spark was on the bench. City, a team in search of their first win of the season kicked off playing up the slope and they certainly looked intent to alter that record. They attacked from the start and forced Lee Ashcroft into conceding a corner within 90 seconds.
Sean Murdoch`s first two touches proved crucial since from the corner he kept out Jordan Sinclair`s low shot with his outstretched left leg and then beat away Paul McLean`s follow up. The threat was not over however Graham tried a shot from the edge of the box and Nat Wedderburn stuck out a foot deflecting the ball to Kelvin Orsi. He looked set to net but his header sailed over the crossbar.
Gradually the Pars tamed their opponents initial enthusiasm. James Dale`s ninth minute tackle on Ryan Williamson brought the Pars player down but no penalty and two minutes later Kallum Higginbotham sent a free kick into the City box but Ashcroft`s header was easily held by keeper Graeme Smith.
Williamson surged forward in 16 minutes and Nicky Clark then fed the back back to his full back inside him as he entered the box. Dale came across and belted a clearance that rebounded off Williamson`s back and narrowly wide right. Now that would have been a novel first goal for Ryan!
Declan McManus` 19th minute low shot was turned behind at his near post by Smith. When Higginbotham delivered the corner in from the right and Callum Morris rose high above everyone to head net bound but that was cleared off the line and Smith followed that up by quick reaction saves from both McManus and Clark.
Dean Shiels sent a 21st minute effort wide right after Hopkirk had collected on the left side of the box and fed the ball back. Next Brechin sent their big men up for a long throw in from close to the right corner flag and nearly got caught on the break as Nat Wedderburn was first to ball and Clark won a good header to send McManus away. Higginbotham arrived in support but could only win a couple of corners. The home side lived dangerously, Dale kicked a Clark headed effort off the line but again their goal remained intact.
Jason Talbot`s run into the box earned a 28th minute corner from which the Pars were to open the scoring. Higginbotham`s ball in from the left travelled out to ASHCROFT on the right side of the box and his low drive took a deflection as it travelled into the net. 0-1
Dunfermline continued spraying passes about the park. Clark and Higginbotham combined well to take the winger wide left before Shiels put in a cross that was just too high for McManus.
There was a great chance for an equaliser just six minutes from the break. Orsi jinked through the middle between Ashcroft and Morris but thankfully Murdoch beat away the Brechin no.18s effort.
A fine pass from Higginbotham for Hopkirk to break away up the right saw McManus in for a shot but the keeper sent that behind and from the resultant corner Clark was desperately unlucky with his glancing header. Higginbotham was very unlucky to see a speculative shot from the left edge of the penalty box drop just beyond the right goalpost.
The visitors half time stats would show 60% possession and seven corners to Brechin`s one but only one goal separated the teams.
Half time: Brechin City 0 Dunfermline 1
Dunfermline won a corner within 40 seconds of the restart and although Higginbotham`s initial delivery was cleared he recovered the ball and sent over a cross for the big Dunfermline men on the edge of the six yard box. It was Wedderburn who got the header in but the ball dropped just wide left.
Brechin forced a corner in 48th minute when Connor McLennan belted a shot from the edge of the box that was well saved by Murdoch dropping to his left to turn the ball out for a corner. From that the ball broke to Sinclair who would hit the roof of the stand from 20 yards out.
At the other end Graham collected a yellow card as the Pars were awarded a free kick and Morris was up to blast an effort over the bar albeit with a deflection. The second Dunfermline goal was only minutes away and it came from a classic Williamson move. Winning the ball on the right he pushed it towards the byeline, ran on to it again and surprised his marker by getting a first class cross in that McMANUS rose to head home. 0-2
Ally Love replaced Connor McLennan and immediately the home side earned a corner that the Pars got away despite a firm effort from Sean Crichton. On the break Hopkirk played a one two off Higginbotham but was unlucky to see his cross from the left cut out.
Midway through the second half Hoppy was substituted by Callum Smith and within two minutes the Fifers were another goal ahead. Again it was Williamson collecting the ball on the right to supply the chance with another great cross. Crichton rose to attempt to clear but only succeeded in deflecting the ball away from his keeper`s clutches to allow CLARK an elementary finish chesting the ball home at the far post. 0-3
Graham tried a shot from 30 yards that took a deflection but not enough to beat Murdoch. Love tried to hit on the break but pulled his shot across goal and beyond the right upright. Dunfermline made a double substitution with 12 minutes remaining. Andy Ryan and Aaron Splaine took the places of Declan McManus and Dean Shiels.
Clark hit the crossbar with a fine shot from the edge of the box as he played the ball off Higginbotham in 82 minutes. Ryan hurt himself into a sliding tackle with Liam Watt but got up and sprinted towards goal when the ball came his way. He was put off just enough as he tried to play in a team mate to his right but then got close with a speculative header just a minute later.
Higginbotham was offside in 87th minute when he got through on the left and blasted over the bar. Splaine headed a cross from Talbot over the bar and Brechin`s final attempt from a Sinclair shot was headed behind by Morris.
A good away win that kept the Pars top of the league ahead of the big home match against Dundee United the next Saturday.
BRECHIN CITY: Graeme Smith: Paul McLean, Ryan McGeever, Sean Crighton, Willie Dyer: James Dale, Finn Graham (Liam Watt 81), Chris O`Neill (Euan Spark 71), Jordan Sinclair, Connor McLennan (Ally Love 62), Kalvin Orsi.SUBS NOT USED: Isaac Layne, Gary Fusco, Patrick O`Neil (GK).
YELLOW CARD: Graham (51)
DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch: Ryan Williamson, Callum Morris (c), Lee Ashcroft, Jason Talbot: Kallum Higginbotham, Nat Wedderburn, Dean Shiels (Aaron Splaine 78), David Hopkirk (Callum Smith 68): Declan McManus (Andy Ryan 78), Nicky Clark.
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Martin, Fraser Aird, Scott Lochhead, Cammy Gill (GK).
SCORERS: Ashcroft (28), McManus (55), Clark (70)
YELLOW CARD: Hopkirk (31)
REFEREE: John McKendrick
WEATHER: Cloudy 16C
ATTENDANCE 1214
NEXT MATCH: Ladbrokes Championship: (home) Saturday 30th September v Dundee United. 3.00pm kick off at East End Park
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Preview Brechin City
Saturday, 23rd Sep 2017Ladbrokes Championship: Saturday 23rd September 2017, 3.00pm kick off at Glebe Park.
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ADMISSION
PRICES |
Like the last visit to Glebe Park on 20th February 2016, it`s top v bottom on Saturday as Dunfermline travel to meet Darren Dods Brechin City. The Angus club are without a win since their 1-0 play off victory over Alloa Athletic in May.
This meeting will be the 50th league matches between the clubs and Dunfermline have won 33, drawn 8 and lost 8 so far. Prior to those in season 2015-2016 season, the last victory there on league business had been on 4th January 1994 but that gap only included four matches.
The August 2015 result also matched the best Pars result in Brechin, a 6-1 win in 1979 courtesy of a Mike Leonard hat trick and goals from Jimmy Mullin, Kevin Hegarty, and Walter Borthwick.
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Milestones v Brechin City (away) |
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Last Victory |
20/02/16 |
2-1 |
League One |
|
Last Defeat |
18/04/15 |
0-3 |
League One |
|
Best Victory |
07/03/79 |
6-1 |
Div Two |
|
Worst Defeat |
07/11/31 |
0-3 |
Div Two |
Undefeated against the Fifers in season 2014-15 Brechin lost 2-1 the last time the Pars visited Glebe Park
| Last fourteen meetings | ||||
| 2015/2016 | ||||
| League One | Dunfermline | 3-1 | Brechin City | 26/03/16 |
| League One | Brechin City | 1-2 | Dunfermline | 20/02/16 |
| League One | Dunfermline | 3-1 | Brechin City | 05/12/15 |
| League One | Brechin City | 1-6 | Dunfermline | 08/08/15 |
| 2014/2015 | ||||
| League One | Brechin City | 0-3 | Dunfermline | 18/04/15 |
| League One | Brechin City | 1-1 | Dunfermline | 02/03/15 |
| League One | Dunfermline | 0-1 | Brechin City | 24/02/15 |
| League One | Dunfermline | 0-0 | Brechin City | 09/08/14 |
| 2013/2014 | ||||
| League One | Dunfermline | 2-1 | Brechin City | 29/03/14 |
| League One | Brechin City | 3-2 | Dunfermline | 25/01/14 |
| League One | Dunfermline | 3-1 | Brechin City | 23/11/13 |
| League One | Brechin City | 1-1 | Dunfermline | 14/09/13 |
| 1993/1994 | ||||
| First Division | Dunfermline | 2-1 | Brechin City | 30/04/94 |
| First Division | Brechin City | 0-1 | Dunfermline | 04/01/94 |
Last Meeting
SPFL League One
Brechin City 1 Dunfermline 2
Saturday 20th February 2016
The visitors opened the scoring on six minutes. Faissal El Bakhtaoui was fed the ball out on the left wing and he cut into the Brechin box to square for Michael Paton in front of goal, he prodded the ball right for Josh FALKINGHAM to sidefooted the ball into the net.
Brechin were to equalise in 17 minutes after pressure on Ben Richards-Everton had made the Pars centre half concede a corner. When that was sent over by Willie Dyer from the left, former Pars striker Robert THOMSON rose above everybody else to head home.
Just before half time a tackle on El Bakhtaoui earned the visitors a free kick on the right edge of the box. Paton sent that into the six yard box where RICHARDS-EVERTON shot in what turned out to be the winner..
BRECHIN CITY: Graeme Smith. Gary Fusco, Paul McLean, Lukas Culjak, Willie Dyer. Jonathan Tiffoney (David Weatherston 57 (Scott Shepherd 71)), Craig Molloy (Euan Smith 85), James Dale, Jamie Montgomery. Andy Jackson, Robert Thomson.
SUBS NOT USED: Craig Johnston, Darren Dods, Darren McCormack, Patrick O`Neil (GK).
DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch. Craig Reid, Brad McKay, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot. Michael Paton (Ryan Wallace 81), Andy Geggan (c), Josh Falkingham, Joe Cardle (David Hopkirk 77). Michael Moffat, Faissal El Bakhtaoui.
SUBS NOT USED: Rhys McCabe, Shaun Byrne, Shaun Rooney, Paul Joseph Crossan, David Hutton (GK).
League Stats
| Brechin City | Dunfermline |
| Current League Position | |
| 10 | 1 |
| Recent League Results | |
| LDLLDL | DWWWLW |
| League Points | |
| 2 | 13 |
| Goal Difference | |
| -9 | +12 |
| League Record | |
| P6, W0, D2, L4 | P6, W4, D1, L1 |
Recent Form
Last week against fellow part timers Dumbarton, Jordan Sinclair netted for Brechin City within 90 seconds. However after Aron Lynas was shown a straight red by referee Nick Walsh, the Angus side had to try and see out the final 20 minutes with only ten men. They almost managed but lost goals in 82 and 86 minutes and went back up the road pointless.
Dunfermline`s only league defeat was in their last away match at Morton. Their home form has been impressive and although they won comfortably at Dumbarton, the trip to Livingston only earned a point thanks to a late penalty save by Sean Murdoch.
| Form this season - . | ||||||
| . Brechin City | .
. .. |
. Dunfermline | ||||
| . . Dumbarton (A) |
.L |
1-2 | . St Mirren (H) | .W |
.3-0 |
|
| . . Falkirk (H) | D | 1-1 | . Morton (A) | L |
2-3 |
|
| . . Inverness Caley Th (H) | L | 0-4 | . Buckie Thistle (A) | .W |
.3-0 |
|
| . . Dundee United (A) | L | 0-1 | . .Dumbarton (A) | W | 4-0 | |
| . . Buckie Thistle (A) | L | 1-2 | . Falkirk (H) | W | 3-1 | |
| . . Livingston (H) |
D |
2-2 | . Arbroath (H) | W | .2-0 | |
Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v St Mirren): Sean Murdoch: Ryan Williamson, Callum Morris (c), Lee Ashcroft, Jason Talbot: Kallum Higginbotham (Aaron Splaine 82), Nat Wedderburn, Dean Shiels, Joe Cardle (David Hopkirk 18): Declan McManus, Nicky Clark.
SUBS NOT USED: Callum Smith, Lewis Martin, Fraser Aird, Andy Ryan, Cammy Gill (GK).
BRECHIN CITY (v Dumbarton): Graeme Smith: Paul McLean, Ryan McGeever, Sean Crighton, Willie Dyer: James Dale, Finn Graham, Aron Lynas, Jordan Sinclair (Liam Watt 72), Connor McLennan (Euan Spark 77), Kalvin Orsi (Isaac Layne 87)
SUBS NOT USED: Gary Fusco, Ally Love, Chris O`Neill, Patrick O`Neil (GK).
Brechin fielded two players who have played at Dunfermline in recent years - Finn Graham and Euan Spark.
Referee will be John McKendrick
The other Championship Fixtures
Dumbarton v Inverness Caley Thistle
Dundee United v Morton
Falkirk v Livingston
St Mirren v Queen of the South (Sun)
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