MATCH PREVIEW: Dunfermline Atheltic v Forfar Athletic

The ‘Loons’ will attempt to bounce back from their Ibrox defeat when they travel on Saturday to face second in the table Dunfermline Athletic.

The ‘Pars’ who like Forfar have only lost to Rangers in their last six competitive fixtures lie fourteen points behind Ally McCoist’s side, but significantly they have opened up a five point gap over Ayr United who are third in the table.

Jim Jeffries outfit will also be on a high following their midweek cup replay win over Ayr United which has landed them a financially lucrative fifth round visit in February to Ibrox.

Dick Campbell’s side though will travel in the knowledge that they have already picked up a deserved three points from their earlier meeting with the Fifers, October’s joust between the sides at Station Park ending in an emphatic 4-0 home win.

Paul McManus, Stuart Malcolm, Gavin Malin and Dale Hilson were the ‘Loons’ marksmen that sunny afternoon, sadly Dale will be an absentee this weekend after picking up a hamstring injury early in the Ibrox midweek tussle.

Craig Storie is likely to feature in what will be the last game of his short loan spell, though discussions are continuing between Derek McInnes and Dick with regard to the player’s immediate future.

Dale apart the Forfar management team will have a full pool of players to choose from for a match which will be the third of a spell of five games in fourteen days for the squad.

The man in the middle at East End Park will be Aberdeenshire based school teacher Mat Northcroft.