News /Game News
Dunfermline | Match Preview | 05/02/22
Dunfermline Athletic are the visitors to Somerset Park on Saturday as Ayr United face their third game in the space of a week. The two sides are split only by goal difference ahead of a crucial fixture in the battle to avoid the drop and The Honest Men will be looking to earn a vital three points ahead of the tantalising prospect of Wednesday night’s Ayrshire Derby.
United suffered defeat midweek at the hands of Partick Thistle but gaffer Lee Bullen was pleased with the spirit that his side showed. In a game of fine margins, it was Brian Graham who popped up with the winner to send the Ayr United faithful home disappointed. After a busy window, there was debuts for Kerr McInroy and Blaine Rowe who both impressed during their short cameos, giving the manager plenty to think about ahead of Saturday’s game.
Opposition
Following a 5-0 thrashing from Morton, Dunfermline have had an upturn in fortunes as they come into the game on the back of two wins and a draw from their last three games. Last weekend, The Pars faced off against Queen of the South and ran out comfortable 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Graham Dorrans and Daniel Pybus. Ayr gaffer, Lee Bullen is a former fans favourite at East End Park but there will be no love lost at three o’clock on Saturday as Dunfermline bid to build on their impressive run of three clean sheets in their last five games.
The Pars have also had a busy window as they moved to strengthen their squad ahead of the business end of season. John Hughes was delighted with the January additions which included a deal that seen Joe Chalmers make the switch from the west coast to the east coast.
Both teams languish perilously close to the foot of the table and you only have to look at the number of goals scored to see an indication of why. The two sides are the league’s lowest scoring teams with only 42 goals between them so far this campaign.
Team News
Michael Hewitt remains side-lined. Everyone else is fit and available for selection.
The Manager Says:
Head to Head
Ayr United Wins - 32
Draws - 28
Dunfermline Wins – 49
It’s a win a piece so far this season for the two sides after all three games last season ended in a draw.
Last Meeting: Ayr travelled to Dunfermline in November and suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat – The Pars biggest win of the season. Lewis McCann scored a double and Ryan Dow got his name on the scoresheet as the game was out of sight by the 52nd minute.
Ayr lined up – McAdams, Houston, Baird, Fjørtoft, Reading, Muirhead, McKenzie (Bradley 83'), Murdoch, Chalmers (Maxwell 70'), O'Connor (Salkeld 70'), Afolabi
Match Officials
Referee – Alan Muir
Assistant Referee – Scott Anderson
Assistant Referee – Drew Kirkland
Live Coverage
Admission Details: Tickets are available now and can be purchased online below:
Home Fans: HTTPS://TICKETS.AYRUNITEDFC.CO.UK/PACKAGES/LZEMOKZMPW/E/GE6AJE5895
Tickets for Home Supporters are available for the Centre Stand, East Stand, North Terrace and Somerset Road End
Away Fans: HTTPS://TICKETS.AYRUNITEDFC.CO.UK/PACKAGE_LINK/LZEMOKZMPW/DUNFERMLINEAWAY
Dunfermline Supporters have been allocated the Railway End Terracing (standing behind the goal) and the West Stand (seating).
Tickets must be purchased in advance of the match as there is no option to pay at the turnstiles.
Prices:
Adult - £18
Concessions - £12
u16s - £6
Live Streaming: The game is available to livestream for £18:
https://ayrunitedfc.co.uk/live-streaming
Match Sponsor:
Finlay Donovan.
Match Ball Sponsor:
Home Bakery.
“We were relatively happy with the boy’s performance on Tuesday night and if we can keep putting in that level of performance then we’re confident results will start to follow. There won’t be too much change in terms of the squad but the team might tweak a little bit and having that selection headache is a good problem to have – we have competition for places now and that can only be a good thing.”
Watch what Lee Bullen and Paddy Reading had to say ahead of the game here: https://ayrunitedfc.co.uk/black-white-tv/