Albion Rovers 1 Dunfermline 1
Saturday, 21st Nov 2015Ladbrokes League One: Joe Cardle and Shaun Byrne start in place of Michael Paton and Rhys McCabe. Andy Geggan (15) 0-1; Josh Mullen (20) 1-1
Dunfermline were the visitors to Cliftonhill for the first time since April 1985. Rhys McCabe missed out with a calf injury allowing Shaun Byrne to continue in midfield and Joe Cardle had recovered from his groin strain so Michael Paton dropped to the bench.
Albion Rovers in joint third place but ten points behind their opponents made one change from the side that lost 1-0 to league leaders Ayr United last time out. Josh Mullen started instead of Ally Love. Player manager Darren Young was suspended.
The home side kicked off attacking the goal with terracing behind it. That housed some of the big Pars travelling support. Just on two minutes there was panic in the home defence after Michael Moffat had released Cardle down the left and his diagonal ball was not cleared convincingly when Ryan Wallace headed down the cross. They survived however and were just as relieved four minutes later when Moffat fired an effort narrowly wide left after Cardle had set him up for a shot from the edge of the box.
Two more minutes past and a build up down the left eventually saw Cardle feed the ball into a deeper central area from where Andy Geggan had a crack but the ball sailed over the bar.
Then when Gary Fisher cut down Byrne the Pars were awarded a free kick 40 yards out. The two central defenders went up but the ball was cut out before it reached them and then when returned Marc McAusland was penalised for pushing.
On the quarter hour Moffat sent the ball out towards the right corner flag from where Wallace did remarkably well to centre but Faissal El Bakhtaoui's shot was deflected behind for a corner. Wallace delivered that from the right and Andy GEGGAN met it with an unstoppable header. 0-1
Things could have got worse for Rovers when Bakhtaoui's shot in 18th minute was deflected past the advancing keeper but stopped on the line by Ross Dunlop.
It had been all Dunfermline but a free kick in 20th minute was to end just over ten and a half hours of league shut out. Fisher directed the ball in from the right and an Albion header in front of Ben Richards-Everton got the ball back to Josh MULLEN who thrashed the ball home on the volley from 18 yards, the ball going in off the underside of the crossbar. 1-1
The Fifers created a good opportunity in 29 minutes when a Lewis Martin ball was caught on the right side of the box by Moffat but he just couldn't get in the killer cross. Andy Barrowman collected the first card of the afternoon for a foul on McAusland and Sean Murdoch took that sending it into the right side of the box for Martin but Rovers defended the threat.
Murdoch did really well to beat away a Barrowman shot from an Albion Rovers corner in 37 minutes but the home side kept trying and a Mullen cross from the right had to be seriously defended. Two Albion free kicks in 44th and 45th did not create any real problems but a corner from the left in the first minute of three added minutes at the first half let in Barrowman for a header that just cleared the bar.
A disappointing first half for the Fifers who after looking like trouncing their hosts up until the equaliser let Albion into the game after conceding the 20th minute goal.
Half Time: Albion Rovers 1 Dunfermline 1
The Pars kicked off towards their own supporters in the second half and El Bakhtaoui was on the end of a Martin cross but looped his 47th minute headed effort to keeper Ross Stewart. Two minutes later a Cardle cross sat up invitingly for Byrne on the edge of the box but Stewart was to hold that.
Two worrying crosses from Albion no.7 Mullen could have caused further damage to the Pars defensive record but they managed to keep the attackers at bay. Encouraged by the home support Barrowman made Richards-Everton belt the ball out of play and then Barra was on the end of a delivery from the right but Murdoch held the striker's attempt.
It was to be the 54th minute before the visitors got another chance; Cardle's cross being met by a Wallace header at the near post but he headed wide left. Back at the other end Barrowman pulled a good opportunity wide left.
Shaun Byrne who had been subject of several robust Albion challenges was then yellow carded for his tackle on Fisher. El Bakhtaoui tried an overhead kick but his shot was well off target before Allan Johnston tried to change things with a double substitution just after the hour. Michael Paton replaced Ryan Wallace and David Hopkirk was introduced in place of Joe Cardle. The substitution might have been a masterstroke but Hopkirk sent an immediate chance narrowly wide left.
A Pars corner midway through the second half started a series of Pars touches that threatened promise but none were to make the important breakthrough. Three minutes later Moffat fought for possession inside the Rovers box and did get away a shot but it travelled across goal and out beyond the right hand post.
Geggan made a strong run in 72 minutes that took him into the left side of the opposition box but Stewart held the Pars skipper's well struck shot. Pressure was building and Stewart was called into making an excellent save when Martin launched a shot from 20 yards.
Paton and Byrne combined to set up Martin on the overlap but the cross was easy meat for Stewart. Hopkirk burst up the right but failed to get in the cross before eventually Albion dispossessed him. Paton next played in an early ball for El Bakhtaoui but his header again looped to the keeper.
Try as they did Dunfermline just could not find the route to goal. In a break from resolute defending the Lanarkshire side were taken back upfield in 88th minute and substitute Ally Love hung on to possession long enough to belt a good shot on target that Murdoch had to show his class to keep out.
Before the match came to an end Geggan was yellow carded for a tough challenge with Ross Davidson. His sixth of the season and no doubt a suspension looms.
Ayr increased their lead at the top with a 3-0 win over ten man Airdrieonians at Somerset Park.
Match Highlights from Pars TV
ALBION ROVERS: Ross Stewart; Alan Reid, Michael Dunlop, Ross Dunlop, Kyle Turnbull; Mark Ferry (Ally Love 65), Gary Fisher, Ross Davidson, Paul Willis (Ricardo Talu 90), Josh Mullin, Andy Barrowman.
SUBS NOT USED: Scott McBride, Callum McRobbie, Daniel Terry (GK).
SCORERS: Mullen (20)
YELLOW CARD: Barrowman (33)
DUNFERMLINE: Sean Murdoch; Lewis Martin, Marc McAusland, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot; Ryan Wallace (Michael Paton 61), Shaun Byrne, Andy Geggan (Josh Falkingham 91), Joe Cardle (David Hopkirk 61), Michael Moffat, Faissal El Bakhtaoui.
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Spence, Shaun Rooney, Mickaël Antoine-Curier, David Hutton (GK).
SCORERS: Geggan (15)
YELLOW CARD: Byrne (58), Geggan (90)
REFEREE: Alan Muir
WEATHER: Overcast 3C
ATTENDANCE 1041
NEXT MATCH: William Hill Scottish Cup (away) v Ayr United, Saturday 28th November 2015, kick off 3.00pm
Views : 10,276
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Preview Albion Rovers
Wednesday, 18th Nov 2015Of the 71 previous league matches, the Pars have won 37, 12 have been drawn and 22 lost.
The second of three successive away games takes Dunfermline Athletic to Coatbridge to face Albion Rovers. It was April 1985 when Dunfermline last played at Cliftonhill, so for most Pars fans this will be their first opportunity to see the Pars play there and for that reason there could be a sizeable away support this Saturday.
The last away game against Albion Rovers was in March 1986, when Tommy Gemmell was their manager, but since the Pars had a travelling support that regularly exceeded 1000 and Cliftonhill had an SFA imposed limit of 850 at the time, the match was actually played at Broomfield Park, Airdrie.
Former Pars midfielder Darren Young is their player/manager and he has defied the expectations of many who predicted that his newly promoted team would struggle this season. On the contrary they currently sit in joint third spot in the Ladbrokes League One table. Dunfermline are just 10 points ahead of the Coatbridge club in second place with a game in hand.
Of the 71 previous league matches, the Pars have won 37, 12 have been drawn and 22 lost. Dunfermline's games against Lanarkshire club have tended to be high scoring games but the most recent have been all one way with the Pars scoring 22 goals in the last six encounters
without reply.
|
Milestones v Albion Rovers (away) |
|||
|
Last Victory |
31/03/86 |
3-0 |
Div Two |
|
Last Defeat |
28/04/79 |
0-1 |
Div Two |
|
Best Victory |
27/09/72 |
5-1 |
Div Two |
|
Worst Defeat |
07/09/32 |
0-5 |
Div Two |
| Last twelve meetings | ||||
| 2015/16 | ||||
| League One | Dunfermline | 3-0 | Albion Rovers |
03/10/15 |
| 1990/91 | ||||
| Skol Cup | Dunfermline | 4-0 | Albion Rovers |
21/08/90 |
| 1985/86 | ||||
| Division Two | Dunfermline | 6-0 | Albion Rovers | 26/10/85 |
| Division Two | Albion Rovers | 0-3 | Dunfermline | 31/03/86 |
| Division Two | Dunfermline | 4-0 | Albion Rovers | 12/04/86 |
| 1984/85 | ||||
| Division Two | Albion Rovers | 0-2 | Dunfermline | 20/10/84 |
| Division Two | Dunfermline | 1-1 | Albion Rovers | 09/02/85 |
| Division Two | Albion Rovers | 1-1 | Dunfermline | 16/04/85 |
| 1983/84 | ||||
| Division Two | Albion Rovers | 1-1 | Dunfermline | 17/09/83 |
| Division Two | Dunfermline | 1-2 | Albion Rovers | 11/02/84 |
| Division Two | Dunfermline | 5-0 | Albion Rovers | 28/04/84 |
| 1978/79 | ||||
| Division Two | Albion Rovers | 1-0 | Dunfermline | 28/04/79 |
Albion Rovers moved to Cliftonhill in 1919, with the new ground opening on 25 December. The Main Stand sits high on a rise above Main Street and a roof extension over the standing area in front of the stand was added in 1994. The Main Stand and paddock are the only parts of the stadium normally used nowadays and the current capacity is listed as 1,238. In its heyday, Cliftonhill housed many thousand more people and its record attendance was set on 8 February 1936 when 27,381 watched the visit of Rangers. Unusually and owing to the ground's small capacity, there are no stands or open space behind either goals for spectators.
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Albion Rovers were founded in October 1882 with players drawn from two junior teams - the Rovers and The Albion. It was not until 1903 when they entered the Scottish League playing in Division Two. Dunfermline first met Albion Rovers on 14th September 1912 when the Pars ran out comfortable 5-2 winners. The following season Albion Rovers finished runners up - one point ahead of the Pars.
In season 1919/20 they were elected to the First Division and in the same year they moved to their current home, Cliftonhill. This was perhaps The Wee Rovers most successful period in their history, reaching the Scottish Cup final in 1920 only to lose 3-2 to Kilmarnock in front of a crowd of 95,000, a record for the time.
With their relegation in 1922/23 season it meant that they would face Dunfermline once more, with the Fifers taking three points out of four but finishing three points and two places behind fifth placed Albion. In season 1933/34, Albion pipped Dunfermline to the Second Division title. They had to thank their 2-1 victory at East End Park on 17th March - when Dunfermline were top of the league and undefeated at home - for this achievement.
After the Second World War Albion found themselves, like Dunfermline, in Division 'B' and in 1947/48 they were promoted as runners up to East Fife. One season on they were back in the bottom league. They finished fourth in the Second Division in 1979/80 and in 1988/89 won that league. Albion Rovers won League Two last season by a ten point margin and a goal difference of +28. Last season's League Two champions find themselves up against the Pars in the league for the first time since season 1985/86.
| Albion Rovers | Dunfermline |
| Current League Position | |
| X | 2 |
| League Points | |
| 20 | 30 |
| Goal Difference | |
| -1 | +31 |
| Recent League Form | |
| LWWDLX | WWWDDW |
| Home / Away League Record | |
| P5, W4, D0, L1 | P7, W4, D1, L1 |
| Recent League Form Home / Away | ||||||
| Albion Rovers Home | Dunfermline Away | |||||
| Peterhead | W | 1-0 | Airdrieonians | W | 2-0 | |
| Stenhousemuir | W | 2-0 | Cowdenbeath | D | 0-0 | |
| Airdrieonians | L | 1-3 | Stranraer | W |
3-0 |
|
| Brechin City | W | 3-1 | St Mirren | L |
0-4 |
|
| Ayr United | W | 3-0 | Dundee United | D | 1-1* | |
| Stenhousemuir | W | 5-0 | ||||
Connections
Sandy Clark left Albion Rovers in the summer to join Allan Johnston's management team at Dunfermline but the most famous link between the clubs is Jock Stein. Stein played 94 times for Albion between 1942 and 1950 and was part of the team that won Division 'B' in 1948.
In addition to Darren Young the current Albion squad includes former Pars players Andy Barrowman, Paul Willis and Scott McBride.
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Last Time Out
DUNFERMLINE (v Airdrieonians): Sean Murdoch; Lewis Martin, Marc McAusland, Ben Richards-Everton, Jason Talbot; Michael Paton ,Andy Geggan, Rhys McCabe (Shaun Byrne HT), Ryan Wallace, Michael Moffat, Faissal El Bakhtaoui.
SUBS NOT USED: Lewis Spence, David Hopkirk, Josh Falkingham,
Shaun Rooney, Mickaël Antoine-Curier, David Hutton (GK).
ALBION ROVERS (v Ayr United): Ross Stewart; Alan Reid, Michael Dunlop, Ross Dunlop, Kyle Turnbull; Mark Ferry (Josh Mullin 73), Gary Fisher, Ross Davidson, Paul Willis, Ally Love (Scott McBride 64), Andy Barrowman (Callum McRobbie 81).
SUBS NOT USED: Ricardo Talu, Terry, Darren Young, Blair Lochhead (GK)
Referee will be Alan Mur
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