Dunfermline aim to take good form into visit of Dundee

After the fantastic 90 minutes against Livingston last week, Dunfermline will be hoping for a repeat performance as Dundee visit East End Park this Saturday. Here we look ahead to the game as well as looking back to an old clash between the sides......

The media coverage that would have covered the signing of Paul Gascoigne does not look like it will arrive at East End on Saturday. No distractions will be in place then as Dunfermline look to getting full points and keeping the 100% home record intact going into the Rangers game in a fortnight.

Jimmy Calderwood will have the type of selection problem that managers always say they like, who to leave out of an almost 100% fit squad! Scott Wilson will come into contention for his debut, but who would JC leave out after such a great performance last week? Gary Mason may also struggle to walk back into the team after his recovery from injury.

There can be no doubt as to the effectiveness of the front pairing of Brewster and Crawford. Journalists in the national press have been gushing over the partnership since their goal a piece against Livi. Their places in the starting line up will be two of the most guaranteed for Dundee`s trip south.

Dunfermline have had a VERY good home record against Dundee in recent years. East End Park was not the happiest hunting ground of Ivano Bonetti during his spell here and Jim Duffy has not had the best of records here either.

In fact you have to go back as far as season 1995/95 to find anything other than a Dunfermline victory at East End Park, which must be one of our better runs of results!

One of the more memorable victories against Dundee took place on the 19th March 1988. After a DISMAL run of eight defeats in a row, without even scoring a consolation goal in reply, relegation was staring Dunfermline in the face in the first ever foray into Premier League football.

The successive promotions had come just too quickly for the club. The remnants of a squad that had been playing second division football not too long before, were not quite up to life in the top division.

However, the brief return to the big time had produced some memorable games, not least the cup win over Rangers, and there was one more glint of hope left that season.

Terrible injuries to goalkeepers had seen Ian Westwater, Tom Carson, Nicky Walker and Dave McKeller all don the number 1 jersey that season. Another loan siging in the shape of Hans Segers would play against Dundee that day. Press interviews beforehand revealed his party piece of doing a handstand every time his team scored. He would soon get plenty opportunity to practice.

In front of a relegation affected crowd of just 4,985 Dunfermline lined up with:

Hans Segers, Bobby Robertson, Vetle Andersen, John Holt, Gary Riddell, Davie Irons, Mark Smith, Stevie Morrison, Willie Callaghan, Craig Robertson and Stuart Beedie. Subs used were John Donnelly and John Watson.

John Watson scored that day as well as Stevie Morrison, both survivors of the 2nd division side along with captain Bobby Robertson. A Craig Robertson double, as well as strikes from John Holt and Mark Smith saw Dunfermline run out incredible 6-1 winners!

Another couple of good results would follow, but it would all be too little too late. Dunfermline learnt a lot during season 87/88 though, and came back a lot stronger in 1989/90 when they only finished 4 points behind Celtic (!!) and a UEFA cup place. A case of what might have been back then, with today`s squad looking like they can finally now go on to achieve that enigmatic European place which surely would have been achieved back in 1990/91 season.......

6-1 would do very nicely this week! If Dunfermline play as well as they did against Livingston, there is no doubt that they should be too strong for the current Dundee team. Jim Duffy will have stamped out the maverick play that, on occasion, lit up the Dees` play. They will still be dangerous however and looking to get their season off to a belated kick start.

Here`s hoping that last week will be the start of things to come, resulting in all three points remaining at East End this Saturday.

`MON THE PARS!!

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