First Team

MATCH PREVIEW | DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC (H)

10th August 2023

We host our first cinch Championship match of the 2023/24 campaign by welcoming Dunfermline Athletic to Tannadice this Saturday.

Opponent Overview

Under the guise of former Dundee boss James McPake, the Pars cantered to the cinch League One title last term, losing just one solitary match and finishing 14 points ahead of bitter rivals Falkirk in second. Furthermore, they conceded 18 fewer goals than anyone else in the division.

In the Viaplay Cup Group Stage, the East End Park outfit faced a Fife Derby against Raith Rovers on Matchday One, eventually running out 4-2 winners after a tense penalty shootout.

McPake's men also swept aside fellow Group F sides Albion Rovers and Annan Athletic with relative ease.

However, a defeat to Premiership Kilmarnock was enough to snuff out their hopes of finishing top of the pile and progression to the Last 16 despite amassing eight points.

On the opening day of the cinch Championship, Dunfermline assuaged their Viaplay Cup woes by kickstarting their league campaign with a victory over fellow newly-promoted side Airdrieonians.

The hosts actually slipped behind on 22 minutes after Craig Watson rose highest in the area to nod home a rebound, but summer signing Ewan Otoo notched a fine header of his own to equalise on the half-hour mark.

And as the match approached the last quarter, Craig Allan thundered home a strike worthy of winning any match - a tremendous, first-time effort that found the top corner in front of the Norrie McCathie Stand.

Watch the highlights below!

Ins and Outs

In the summer window, Dunfermline moved quickly to secure the services of three title-winning loan players on a permanent basis.

2022/23 breakout star and fans' favourite Kane Ritchie-Hosler put pen-to-paper on a three-year deal in Fife as the former Rangers prospect looks to continue his journey in senior football. The lively attacking midfielder will miss this weekend's clash however after sustaining a nasty ankle injury in training.

The Pars also swooped for the aforementioned Ewan Otoo from the green half of Glasgow after the 20-year-old impressed during the run-in, playing every minute of the final eight league matches of last season.

McPake raided former club Dundee for two of their young talents. Defender Sam Fisher returned to commit his future to East End Park for the following three years, and shot-stopper Harrison Sharp embarks on the second loan spell of his career.

Finally, veteran winger Michael O'Halloran was snapped up at the beginning of July after calling time on a lengthy stint with St Johnstone. A club legend at McDiarmid, O'Halloran would make almost 200 top-flight appearances with the Perth Saints, and was part of three domestic cup triumphs.

It's a move that suggests the Pars are eyeing up more than just survival in a notoriously competitive division.

The departures board features Bulgarian targetman Nikolai Todorov, who made the switch to Championship new boys Airdrieonians, midfield stalwart Paul McGowan and former Alloa Athletic striker Kevin O'Hara.

Tale of the Tape

United's record in recent times against Saturday's opposition is almost flawless, having lost just two of their last 23 matches. Despite this, our last joust with Dunfermline ended in defeat, with Kevin Nisbet and Jonothan Afolabi rippling the net in Fife.

Clashes between the sides at Tannadice are notoriously action-packed - the last ten have averaged almost 2.5 goals.

United Academy graduate Chris Mochrie played an instrumental role in Dunfermline's promotion to the second tier, as he turned out 36 times during a season-long loan. The midfielder would grab four goals and two assists in black and white.

Scottish Cup-winning hero Craig Brewster is one of few players to have reached a century of appearances for both clubs. Others in the hundred club include Paul Gallacher and Pat Gardiner.

Talking Tactics

McPake has remained loyal to a back three throughout the entirety of their Viaplay Cup campaign, with both summer signings, Otoo and Fisher, flanking experienced defender Kyle Benedictus.

The attacking-minded 3-4-3 setup utilised has proved successful thus far, with the Pars notching ten goals in their opening five competitive matches of the season.

Chance creation usually flows from the direct wingers of Andrew Tod and Lewis McCann isolating their markers and driving to the byline before setting the ball back for the wing-backs to deliver a first-time cross into the area.

Out of possession, the pair are also vital to pressing from the front, constantly pestering their opponents and harrying them into mistakes. Against Airdrieonians, Tod and McCann forced numerous turnovers in the attacking third leading to clear-cut chances. 

Dunfermline's high line does however leave them susceptible to direct balls into the wider areas or into the feet of a striker dropping deep to link play - exactly the patterns of play which saw United dismantle Arbroath last Friday.

It appears there will be space for Tony Watt, enjoying a new role spearheading our midfield, to operate between the lines.

Predicted XI: Sharp, Fisher, Benedictus, Otoo, Comrie, Chalmers, Allan, Edwards, Tod, Wighton, McCann

One To Watch

It looks as though Craig Wighton has finally found a home in Scottish football.

After bursting onto the scene at Dens and representing Scotland at numerous youth levels, the frontman found his subsequent career hampered by injuries and unsuccessful short-term loan stints. He endured a torrid time with Heart of Midlothian, finding himself dropped from the first-team squad during the ill-fated tenure of Daniel Stendel.

Wighton made the permanent switch to Dunfermline in July 2021, but it would take until last season to reignite the goalscoring touch of his youth, grabbing a sensational 20 goals in all competitions.

April was a month to remember for the 26-year-old, as he was rewarded with a new two-year deal by former Dundee teammate McPake and scooped the SPFL League One Player of the Month award thanks to consecutive strikes against Falkirk, Peterhead, Queen of the South and Aidrireonians.

Already off the mark in 2023/24, Wighton will no doubt keep the United backline busy with his space-invading duties at the forefront of Dunfermline's attack.

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