DUNFERMLINE v KILMARNOCK - Match Preview

Last updated : 19 November 2004 By Pars Mad

Wrap it up in as many hard-luck or hard-work stories as you like…four wins in eighteen matches is enough to make you reach for the razor blades!

It’s fair to say that it’s not been the best of seasons so far – he said nicely – and with the winter temperatures all but here, a little bit of cheer is desperately required by all at East End Park these days. It possibly doesn’t look too promising then that this Saturday brings the visit of Jim Jefferies’ Kilmarnock side to East End Park; Jim Jefferies vs Davie Hay, the world’s two most boring men – with the possible exception of Ken Barlow – going head-to-head. I can’t wait!


Few punters would have predicted – this one included – even at this early stage of the season that the Rugby Park side would have been doing as well as they have been. Sitting in sixth position, five points off third, last season’s relegation battle must seem like a million miles away for Killie fans clearly enjoying their club’s new found optimism. With Jim Jefferies’ adopting the pre-season bookie’s favourite tag to be the first to be given the boot, it would seem as though the Ayrshire side have faced a battle since before the season kicked-off. Enjoying such wins as a five goal victory over Ian McCall’s Dundee Utd side, with the – hopefully – injured Kris Boyd scoring all five goals, it would be fair to say that Killie have enjoyed a fairly successful start to the new campaign. With top six still clearly an aspiration for the Pars coaching staff – although survival might be a tad more realistic – Saturday’s fixture up against a Killie side – sitting on twenty points – seven points above the Pars, surely represents a must-win fixture for the Pars.


The Pars recent record against Jim Jefferies’ men doesn’t make for good reading, with the Pars winning only three times in the last 18 against the Ayrshire side. The Pars’ recent East End Park record against Killie makes for just as grim reading with fortress East End conjuring up only two wins in the last six fixtures at home to Jefferies’ side. The Pars’ overall home record against Killie makes for slightly better reading, the Pars winning 23 times in 51 games, losing 19. However, despite the decent home record, the ‘anyone can beat anyone’ philosophy comes into play with regards to the overall record between the two sides – the Pars winning 35 and losing 38 out of a total of 102 encounters.


The previous encounter between the two sides came in possibly the lowest point in the Pars’ recent history – slight exaggeration maybe – only days after the club’s humiliating UEFA Cup exit at the hands of a team of Icelandic bus drivers. Going down to a solitary Danny Invincible effort, the good feeling built up throughout the last few years seemed to be slipping away from every Pars fan’s mind. Not even the comfort of a world-famous ‘Killie pie’ could help quell the weight of depression which appeared to be setting in throughout the club as a whole. Two months on and an air of depression still hangs ominously around the club – or at least it appears so anyway.


The Specials famously sang “This town is coming like a ghost town”, and never has that statement been more apt than when describing the atmosphere at East End Park this week. With up to ten players nursing injuries – including first-team stalwarts such as Skerla, Shields and Brewster – ahead of Saturday’s fixture, it’s fair to say that things don’t look to promising. However, with several players only a day or two away from a full recovery, Saturday’s team sheet may yet adopt a somewhat more healthy appearance than first imagined. One positive going into the weekend, however, is undoubtedly the performance of Barry Nicholson – winning his international third cap – in Wednesday night’s Scotland-Sweden friendly fixture. Despite being on the wrong end of a routine humping, Caretaker Manager Tommy Burns did at least have one ‘Super Trooper’ (apologies) against the Swedes in the shape of Barry Nic, with Barry turning in, by all accounts, the most impressive individual Scottish performance of the night. Despite Barry’s performance you still can’t help but feel that our national side are in dire need of an ‘SOS’ (apologies once again). Let’s hope that Barry Nic’s selection and subsequent performance for the national side provides the midfielder with a much-needed confidence boost as the Pars prepare to enter a critical stage of the season.


So with cheer somewhat hard to come by at East End these days, I vote that we hire a new match mascot. I hear that a certain Abi Titmuss is up for any gig, and she certainly has played a few demanding roles in her time. So the campaign starts here; Sammy the Tammy out, Abi Titmuss in. I mean, could you imagine Miss Titmuss running around at half-time? I’m sure that would even get a few of the prawn sandwich brigade smiling! She could even get the cardboard box that Sammy seems to carry about at every home game, because I know that I for one would love to see Abi Titmuss running around with her box on show…(erm…you’ve taken that too far!!!). With the side struggling for goals we could even give her a wee gig up-front for a game or two. I’m sure her footballing abilities aren’t the best however if I had to rate her, out of two I’d definitely give her one!


As we dispense with the Abi Titmuss jokes for a minute or two, let’s just hope that Saturday doesn’t bring further misery to us long-suffering Pars fans. Who knows, it could get even worse at East End this Saturday…they might play that shockingly poor Band Aid 20 song!!!