DUNFERMLINE v HEARTS - CIS Cup Match Preview

East End after the fans realise that the Old Firm game is on TV.

Well, in only two games time, cup final fever could be with us once again. Yes, that’s two games! Hard to imagine after the kind of season the Pars have had so far! All we need now is just a little bit of luck and little bit of consistency to see us through…oh well, it was good while it lasted.

With the Gorgie side going into tomorrow night’s fixture on the back of their recent upturn in form, new Hearts boss John Robertson will surely be out to gain some sort of revenge over the Pars after last season’s historic Scottish Cup semi final in which ‘wee Robbo’s’ Caley side were put to the sword by Jimmy Calderwood’s Pars heroes. With the Tynecastle side reaching the latter stages of this competition in the last couple of seasons – losing out 1-0 to Dundee in the quarter finals last year, and losing 1-0 in the semi-final to the blue half of Glasgow the season before – their players and fans alike will surely be hoping to go a step further this time around, especially now that their UEFA Cup campaign seems to be turning in to a ritual humping. After disposing of Jim Jefferies’ Killie side 2-1 in the previous round, Robbo’s side travel to East End hoping for an improvement in their away form, form which has seen them score only three goals in six games – no need to get the shooting boots on this week though lads! After their controversial victory at Pittodrie on Sunday, and with a heavy schedule of fixtures to contend with, one could be forgiven for feeling that Robertson may take this opportunity to rest one or two of his senior players, although, with the team only two wins away from a final appearance, it would be hard to imagine this as the case.

The Pars home record against the Jambos does not fair well for the Pars at all, with the Pars winning just 16 times out of a total of 50 encounters – our friends from across the Forth winning 23. Although in saying that, the Pars recent home record against the Jam Tarts is slightly more favourable, the Pars losing only once in the previous six encounters between the sides. The overall record against the Tynecastle side however, makes even grimmer viewing with the Pars winning just 21 times in a century’s worth of games, Hearts winning 57.

In what has been a, so far, depressing campaign for us Pars fans, the name Hearts does conjure up some decent memories after Barry Nicholson’s stunning effort won the Pars all three points back in September against a weakened Hearts side. With the Pars rooted to the bottom of the table, a measly crowd of just 5,883 turned up to witness Davie Hay’s side claim their first win of what was shaping up to be a long and arduous campaign. Despite the win, you’d have to imagine tomorrow night’s encounter will be a somewhat different affair.

After limping off in only the 19^th minute in Saturday’s clash with Caley Thistle, influential defender Andrius Skerla looks to be ruled out of tomorrow night’s fixture proving an undoubted massive blow to any hope the Pars would have of winning the match. With Skerla’s non-involvement bound to cause selection problems for the Mr Hay, one would imagine Hay’s defensive line-up to resemble the post-Skerla substitution line-up last Saturday – Nipper moving to centre-half with Ritchie Byrne filling the left back slot. Although with Andy Tod and Aaron Labonte, more than able deputies, waiting in the wings, tomorrow night’s defensive line-up could yet spring one or two surprises…although I wouldn’t hold my breath. The match could also see the return to first team action of Noel Hunt, with the goals still somewhat hard to come by down at East End Park nowadays, even with the added advantage of the opposition keepers being scared to dive on the plastic eh Mr Walker?! You know, for some reason I wanted to change the ‘l’ to an ‘n’ there…can’t think why!

With Saturday’s forward line not bearing any fruit – not surprising with the amount of long balls being continually launched at Toddy’s heid! – you would have to imagine tomorrow night’s fixture could see a change or two to the frontline – Billy Mehmet and Simon Donnelly up-front with Brewster in behind certainly wouldn’t go amiss!

With the rigours of the league campaign temporarily put to one side, the Pars players should feel some amount of weight being lifted from their shoulders with a semi-final appearance lying in wait. ‘Diddy’ cup it maybe but try telling that to any Livingston player or supporter – shouldn’t take long, they’ve only got about four supporters altogether (one less than the Pars!). Win this fixture and, who knows, the confidence level and feel-good factor, which seems to be shattered on a regular basis at East End Park these days, could once again return.

All this talk of reaching another cup final aside, more importantly in two games time all the disappearing Pars ‘fans’ – all 14,000 of them – might yet reappear from the shadows!!!