Palmerston Pain or Dunfermline Delight

The Pars travel to Dumfries for another crunch Championship clash.

Dunfermline Athletic travel to Queen of the South on Saturday, as they prepare to face the Doonhamers on Match-Day 17 of the SPFL Ladbrokes Championship.

The Fife side come into the match on the back of a turbulent week following last weekend`s 2-0 loss away to then bottom club Partick Thistle. Blair Spittal scored the opener on 12 minutes with a powerful strike into the bottom corner as the Pars failed to deal with a throw-in properly.

Then, on 56 minutes, Miles Storey scored a controversial second as he struck from close range following a cutback: Lee Robinson seemed to stop the ball right on the line, but, the superb save wasn`t to count for anything as Kevin Clancy and his assistants deemed the ball had crossed the goal line and the effort was awarded, despite protests from the visitors.

Following on from this, DAFC Chairman Ross McArthur has this week been forced into publicly condemning the actions of Dunfermline`s supporters in recent weeks; notices of abuse towards the families of directors, management staff and players being the most recent unacceptable behaviour that the club have experienced. The West Fife side have also seen their fans vandalise East End Park, amongst other things.

Supporters have been debating this issue online this week, and the forum here on dafc.net has saw a lot of division amongst the users in regards to if the statement was appropriate or not and how it may or may not affect the club in the short, medium and long-term - the players will hopefully be able to change the mood around the club by getting a result at Palmerston Park on Saturday afternoon.

Gary Naysmith`s men are in the final promotion playoff spot, 4 points ahead of Allan Johnston`s men. The Dumfries side have been defeated just 4 times in their last 15 competitive outings, having drawn 3 and won 2 of their previous 5 matches.

QoS have drawn with the top two, Ayr United and Ross County in recent weeks, alongside draw-specialists Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Wins over Formartine United (in the William Hill Scottish Cup 3rd Round) and Partick Thistle has boosted the confidence of Queens and helped them build momentum at a crucial period in the campaign.

This term has saw Stephen Dobbie once again light up the second-tier of Scottish football, with the former Crystal Palace and Swansea City forward firing in an impressive 29 goals in just 24 appearances. However, his recent omission due to injury could be a massive boost to the Pars` cause on Saturday, as DA boss Johnston [ told the media this week ].

But, the Athletic manager will know Andy Stirling, Gary Harkins and Lyndon Dykes will not allow the Dunfermline defence to let up, as well as winning goal scorer from the encounter at EEP earlier on this season, Josh Todd. Furthermore, the experience of Kyle Jacobs, Jordan Marshall, Callum Fordyce; Scott Mercer and Alan Martin emphasises the fact that Dunfermline`s performance level needs to be high if they are to travel home with a smile on their face.

🔊 "Oh, the weather outside is frightful!" - well, the forecast is, at least. The winter weather could be hitting Scotland over the weekend and this may put some doubt over the match and whether the game will go ahead. Supporters may not be willing to travel if conditions are poor, however, one thing for sure is that no matter how many fans make the trip, they`ll be hoping for an improved performance and result.

They`ll be travelling in hope rather than expectation, you`d think: this league has proven how inconsistent it can be; a betting enthusiast may strike lucky now and again with the unpredictability of the division - though, that doesn`t mask the fact it has been a disappointing opening to the term for Dunfermline in the Championship.

Will it be Pain at Palmerston or can Dunfermline leave Dumfries Delighted? Let`s hope for a massive 3 points at a notoriously difficult venue.

COYP!!! ⚽🏁🏆

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