Preview Dundee United

Ladbrokes Championship (home) Saturday 29th February 2020, 3.00pm kick off at East End Park

Both teams faced Inverness Caley Thistle in front of their home support in their last matches and while the Tannadice faithful witnessed a 2-1 win the Dunfermline fans watched a 2-1 defeat. United’s win ended a run of five games without a win so there can be a belief around East End Park that points can be won from the leap day fixture against the league leaders.

These visitors however have developed a good record in West Fife with Dunfermline not having defeated Dundee United at East End Park since 2007 but that was the last in a run of seventeen home games against the Tannadice club without defeat.

Milestones Dundee United (Home)
Last League Victory | 27/04/07 | 1-0 | SPL
Last League Defeat | 24/08/19 | 0-2 | Championship
Best League Victory | 11/08/45 | 7-0 | Div B*
Worst League Defeat | 29/10/11 | 1-4 | SPL
Last Goalless Draw | 01/05/18 | 0-0 | Premiership Play off
First League Meeting | 08/10/21 | 4-1 | Div 2 (old)
*Pre league reconstruction

Last time at East End Park
Dunfermline 0 Dundee United 2
Ladbrokes Championship Saturday 24 August 2019

Dundee United were the opposition for the second home league match of the Championship season. The league leaders faced a Dunfermline side riding high on their Celtic Park performance the previous Saturday.

After ten minutes Lawrence SHANKLAND shot United into the lead was he slotted the ball under Ryan Scully from the right side. 0-1

United kept up the pressure, enjoyed lots of possession and the home team just couldn’t get going. Pretty quickly it looked like the Pars were up against a very alert team that broke with pace and appeared to get all the loose balls.

United wasted a corner but when Paul McMullan sped up the right on the half hour he was able to deliver a cross into the six yard where SHANKLAND headed downwards and past Ryan Scully 0-2.

The home side put up a much better fight in the second half but the Taysiders were awarded a 76th minute penalty when Liam Smith’s cross hit Kyle Turner on the hand on the right corner of the Pars box. Turner was shown a yellow card for his protests and Shankland lined up to seal his hat trick but Scully had other ideas, diving correctly to his right to save.

DUNFERMLINE: Ryan Scully: Aaron Comrie, Lee Ashcroft, Stuart Morrison, Lewis Martin: Paul Paton (c), Ryan Dow, Tom Beadling (Matthew Todd, 78), Josh Coley (Kyle Turner HT): Andy Ryan (Lewis McCann 68), Kevin Nisbet.
SUBS NOT USED: Josh Edwards, Gabby McGill, Danny Devine, Cammy Gill (GK)
YELLOW CARD: Turner (76)

DUNDEE UNITED: Ben Siegrist: Jamie Robson, Liam Smith, Mark Reynolds, Ian Harkes, Calum Butcher, Paul McMullan, Sam Stanton (Adam King 82), Nicky Clark (Peter Pawlett 60), Louis Appere, Lawrence Shankland (Osman Sow 90+2).
SUBS NOT USED: Paul Watson, Cammy Smith, Adrian Sporle, Deniz Mehmet

The last dozen league games between the two sides have seen United win eight, Pars one with three games ending up all square but that one Dunfermline win is their only victory in the last 23 meetings in all competitions.

Last Twelve Matches v Dundee United

Date | H/A | F-A | WDL | Competition

26/10/19 | A | 0-2 | L | Championship
24/08/19 | H | 0-2 | L | Championship
26/03/19 | H | 0-1 | L | Championship
12/01/19 | A | 0-1 | L | Championship
27/10/18 | H | 0-2 | L | Championship
04/08/18 | A | 3-2 | W | Championship
05/05/18 | A | 1-2 | L | Premiership Play off
01/05/18 | H | 0-0 | D | Premiership Play off
24/03/18 | A | 1-1 | D | Championship
13/01/18 | H | 0-0 | D | Championship
02/12/17 | A | 1-2 | L | Championship
30/09/17 | H | 1-3 | L | Championship

In the second meeting this season, two goals from moments of slackness separated the teams and an element of bad luck in front of goal separated the teams. The second half was all Dunfermline but by then United were in charge and they saw the 90 minutes out to open a three point gap at the top of the Championship.

Form Last Six Matches

Dunfermline have won two of their last six matches and at home have won six of their last nine home games.

Dundee United may have won only one of their last six games but they have lost only one their last sixteen league matches. They have not lost away in the league since early October. Greatly acclaimed United striker Lawrence Shankland with 24 goals is the league’s top goalscorer.

DUNFERMLINE
Inverness Caley Thistle (H) L 1-2
Queen of the South (A) W 3-2
Dundee (H) W 2-0
Morton (A) L 2-3
Ayr United (H) L 0-1
Alloa Athletic (H) L 1-3

DUNDEE UNITED
Inverness Caley Thistle (H) 2-1
Alloa Athletic (A) D 0-0
Arbroath (H) L 0-1
Hibernian (A) L 2-4
Morton (H) D 1-1
Hibernian (H) D 2-2

Current League Stats

DUNFERMLINE
League Position: 7th
League Points: 31
Goal Difference: +3
League Record: P24 W9 D4 L10 GF37 GA34
Home League Record: P13 W6 D2 L5 GF22 GA16
Last Six League Match Form: LLLWWL

DUNDEE UNITED
League Position: 1st
League Points: 57
Goal Difference: +32
League Record: P25 W18 D3 L4 GF51 GA19
Away League Record: P12 W8 D1 L3 GF17 GA10
Last Six League Match Form: WWDLDW

Teams last time out

DUNFERMLINE (v Inverness Caley Thistle): Owain Fôn Williams: Aaron Comrie, Lee Ashcroft (Lewis Martin 81), Danny Devine, Euan Murray: Ryan Dow (Ethan Ross 54), Paul Paton (c), Kyle Turner, Dom Thomas: Jonathan Afolabi (Gabby McGill 68): Kevin Nisbet.
SUBS NOT USED: Joe Thomson, Tom Beadling, Lewis McCann, Cammy Gill (GK)

DUNDEE UNITED (v Inverness Caley Thistle): Ben Siegrist: Liam Smith, Mark Connolly, Paul Watson, Jamie Robson: Dillon Powers (Ian Harkes 57), Peter Pawlett (Paul McMullan 58), Calum Butcher, Louis Appere, Rakish Bingham (Mark Reynolds 88), Lawrence Shankland.
SUBS NOT USED: Adrian Sporle, Declan Glass, Chris Mochrie, Deniz Mehmet (GK).

Other Championship Fixtures

Alloa Athletic v Ayr United
Dundee v Arbroath
Queen of the South v Morton

Partick Thistle are without a match due to Inverness Caley Thistle’s Scottish Cup tie v Hibernian on Friday night.

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• Dunfermline 1 Inverness CT 2
• Queen of the South 2 Dunfermline 3
• Managers post Inverness CT
• Ross checks out in Spain