Dunfermline Athletic v Forfar Athletic – Match Preview
The ‘Loons’ will continue their tough start to the season on Tuesday evening with a visit to the KDM Group East End Park Stadium to face Dunfermline Athletic in their second Group E fixture in the Premier Sports Cup.
The fixture will be the second of three successive competitive matches against full time opposition, undoubtedly a tough ask at this time of the campaign.
This is especially the case as manager Ray McKinnon is still feverishly working away to augment his currently thin squad quantity wise which saw only two outfield substitutes listed for the visit of Livingston on Saturday past.
The Forfar fans present in the 538 strong crowd on Saturday were however pleased with the effort and application that the side put in over ninety hard fought minutes, who knows what the eventual outcome could have been had impressive debutant Ross MacLean’s superb second half strike found the net, instead of bringing the save of the match from visiting custodian Shamal George.
Manager Ray McKinnon was like the supporters delighted by the commitment of his side against the ‘Lions’ and despite the task ahead over in Fife tomorrow evening is still convinced that these fixtures at this time of the season bode well for building up the team ethic and fitness level ahead of the commencement of the league campaign on August 3rd.
He is certainly one hundred per cent certain that clubs and players at our level get far more out of these mid summer League Cup ties than they would out of further pre-season friendly fixtures.
It looks as though the Athies may have to go into the contest against James McPake’s side with the same squad as Saturday past, although efforts continue to at least bring in one other new face by kick-off.
The manager does remain hopeful that Kieran Inglis will be fit enough to at least take up a post on the subs berth, but if not one hundred per cent fit, he will not be risked.
Finn Robson is again unavailable due to pre-arranged holiday arrangements but will return to the squad for the visit of Cove Rangers on Saturday first.
Despite the defeat there was not a failure in the team on Saturday past with all the new faces playing their part including second half substitutes Scott Reekie and Nathan Cannon.
The ‘Pars’ began their campaign with a 3-0 win at Spartans on Saturday, courtesy of a brace from Kane Ritchie-Hosler and a late counter from Taylor Sutherland.
All three summer signings by the Fifers played their part at Ainslie Park, Canadian internationalist David Wotherspoon and former ‘Don’ Kieran Ngwenya in the starting line up, ex Hibernian and St. Johnstone striker Chris Kane entering the fray at the half time interval.
The ‘Loons’ last visit to Dunfermline ended in a 4-0 reverse in the Scottish Cup in the early days of Ray McKinnon’s stewardship back in November of 2022 and once again Tuesday evening’s trip will prove no easy task for the visiting side.
Nevertheless Stuart Morrison and his colleagues will be give it their very best as they attempt to reap some reward from their visit to the Kingdom.
Colin Whyte is the man in the middle for the tie.
Admission prices are £12 for adults, £8 concessions which covers over 65’s and under 18’s with under 12’s being admitted for £1.
Tickets as previously advised have to be purchased in advance via this link: https://dafc.co.uk/tickets/away-tickets/?ftredirect=1
The other match in the group tomorrow night is due to take place at the Balmoral Stadium when Cove Rangers entertain The Spartans.
