Fourth plays seventh in Dumfries tomorrow - weather permitting, with heavy snow and 45mph winds forecast for the hours before and during the game. Should the game go ahead, hosts Queens will be without their talisman Stephen Dobbie through injury, while the Pars will aim to end a difficult week for the club with the much needed boost that a win would bring.
​Here is the current Championship table:

DUNFERMLINE
Stale performances on the pitch and a statement from the club chairman that highlighted off-field problems between the club and a minority of supporters: it's not been a great week and the game tomorrow will be another test of the team, management and the mood of the fans. There is a sense of despondency around the club at the moment, caused by a prolonged spell of poor results, with the manager's popularity declining alongside the fortunes of his team. 
Only 4 points out of a play-off position but also not completely detached from the teams below us, a win at Palmerston -  a venue where we are unbeaten in the last 5 visits - could be pivotal for our season; the difference between a gap of 1 point, or 7 once the game is over. 
Whatever the result, here's what I hope for this weekend - a tweet I sent last night: thanks to the people who have responded to it. There's been enough of the wrong kind of drama surrounding the club - let's get back to the football! Here's the tweet:

Team, formation etc
After a decent display at home to Morton 2 weeks ago, certain players under-performed at Partick last week, with the midfield in particular a disappointment. For tomorrow's game, I would bring in Kallum Higginbotham - now free from suspension - to replace James Craigen on the right midield, and give Tom Beadling a first League start of the season, replacing James Vincent. The rest of the team remains unchanged, partly due to lack of options. Mark Durnan will be a contender, but may not be fit enough to start. 
Preferred lineup:

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH
The perennial midtable Championship team, Queens have slipped into the top 4 almost unnoticed. Losing top scorer Stephen Dobbie to injury - possibly out for a month - will be a huge blow for them, as is the absence of Gary Harkins, also through injury. Despite that, boss Gary Naysmith will be confident going into the game and he had this to say this week in the lead-up to the match: ''For the club to be in the top 4 in the second week in December, everyone deserves a lot of praise. They're a super group of players and work really hard. We've played 16 games in the League this season and if you add the last 3 from last season, we've only lost 4. That's good consistency."
Asked about this weekend's game, Naysmith said: '' Dunfermline will feel they need to pick up points or they're going to become detached. There's a lot for both us and them to play for. As it stands just now, there's a lot of teams eyeing that fourth place and we're one of them. We want to close the gap on the teams above us and if we can do that we'll also open up a bigger gap on teams like Dunfermline, Falkirk and Partick Thistle. It's as simple as that.''

Tenth plays seventh in tomorrow's Championship match at Firhill. Pre-season, few would have expected to find both sides in the lower half of the table in December, and certainly not Thistle in last place. All of Thistle's wins have been at home, while the Pars have a better away record than at home, which may suggest a draw is the most likely outcome tomorrow. A Dunfermline victory could put us within touching distance of the top 4, while a Thistle win could see them move off the bottom of the division.
Here is the current Championship table. Leaders Ayr United play Inverness this evening. ​

DUNFERMLINE
Last week's resounding 3-0 win at home to Morton was both welcome and almost essential in terms of our season. The confidence supplied by an early goal - the direct outcome of a willingness to shoot from distance - will hopefully follow the players to Glasgow, over 5 years since our last visit there. The team produced a very good first half performance last weekend, going into the break 2-0 ahead, and while the second period was less noteworthy, the Pars goal was rarely threatened and a third goal was added late on to round off an overdue home victory. 
The club's directors have faith in Allan Johnston and while the dismal home form (pre-Morton) in particular has done little for the manager's popularity in the stands, ultimately his success is our success: I felt there was a need for a change last month but despite that, still hope that Johnston can be successful this season, as the club is far bigger and more important than any perception of the manager.

Team, formation etc
Due to 6 players being unavailable last weekend, the lack of options available to the manager ended up being a blessing in disguise. To his credit, he sensibly chose James Craigen in right midfield instead of Myles Hippolyte, and his lineup was a great balance of hard work and inventiveness. There is no need to contemplate any changes for tomorrow's game. Johnston rarely changes a winning team in any case. Most of the missing players from last week are still not ready for selection but I would retain the same 11 players regardless of that. It was encouraging to see Robbie Muirhead give a decent display on the left, plus the tenacious Joe Thomson was the driving force in midfield. 
Preferred lineup:

PARTICK THISTLE
Relegated last season and in danger of enduring a repeat this term, Thistle have struggled from the outset of the League campaign. After sacking long-term boss Alan Archibald in October, new manager Gary Caldwell has had a dreadful start to his time in charge - just 1 point gathered from his first 6 games, scoring just 2 goals in those games.
Caldwell praised his team's performance in last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Queen of the South, finding positives to take from another loss: ''We are the only ones who can change it. You have to dig in and stay together. There are positives in how we're playing. We've lost and are frustrated. It's just not going for us. We are very close to getting it right and have to keep believing.
“The support I’ve felt from the board here and the honesty and openness of the whole football club has been refreshing and excites me for the future. We’re trying to implement certain things that we are changing within the football club, but it doesn’t happen overnight.
​''Certain things we have changed are getting better, but the fans don’t see that. They see the result on a Saturday, and I understand their disappointment and their frustration. But it is coming.”

Seventh plays fifth in tomorrow's Championship match at East End Park. Two wildly inconsistent teams with aspirations of a top 4 place meet, both needing a win to make a positive start to what will be a busy month of December. 
Here is the current Championship table. Dundee United play leaders Ayr United at Tannadice this evening. 

DUNFERMLINE
With just 1 win and 1 draw from 7 home League games this season - scoring just twice in those matches - things must change, and quickly, if this season is to be rescued from what could be a mediocre midtable slog, or an even more unwelcome look over our shoulders at the teams below. Apathy has replaced anger in the EEP stands, with enthusiasm draining with each negative home result. The Pars fans certainly did all they could to lift the team in the most recent home game, against Falkirk, but it ended in an all too familiar loss, with manager Allan Johnston repeating the same post-match comments that we have heard all too often, centering on lack of goals and failure to finish off teams when dominating possession. 

Team, formation, etc
Out: Kallum Higginbotham (suspended), Andy Ryan, Aidan Connolly, Louis Longridge (injured); Mark Durnan (just returned to training after injury). Tom Beadling has trained this week but will clearly require reserve games before being considered for a first team start. 
The defence will almost certainly remain unchanged but it's in midfield where there are decisions to be made. Missing 2 wingers - Higginbotham and Connolly  - we may have to settle for Myles Hippolyte and Robbie Muirhead on the flanks. Both players have played the majority of their careers out wide but neither has convinced in that position - and nor have they done enough to play up front. Unless there is a change of shape tomorrow (4-3-3) we can expect to see Hippolyte and Muirhead starting on the right and left midfield.
Centre midfield has more options than any other area of the squad. I would retain the same central pairing that started at Ross County last week - Joe Thomson and Malaury Martin. James Craigen, James Vincent and - eventually, when fully fit - Tom Beadling are also contenders. 
In attack (and let's hope that is the correct word to use), with Andy Ryan injured and Hippolyte and Muirhead more likely to be used as wingers, that leaves Faissal El Bakhtaoui and fit-again Aidan Keena to start. Keena was not fit enough to start last week's game but will almost certainly be in the team tomorrow. As I said last week, we are very light on decent options up front. Keena has shown promise in his limited game time, while Faissal played reasonably well at Ross County last weekend. They are probably our best pairing and will at least provide pace and movement. 
​Preferred Pars starting 11:  

MORTON
A loss, 2 wins, another loss then a draw - Morton's last 5 League results are indicative of their season as whole - good enough to stay within touching distance of the top 4, safe from any relegation worries but very inconsistent. Their most recent match, a 3-0 win over League 2 Peterhead in a Scottish Cup 3rd round replay on Tuesday, came after the teams drew 1-1 in Greenock last Saturday. 
Morton manager Jonatan Johansson praised his team after the midweek win, achieved after a delay in travelling and a game played in horrendous weather: ''They showed character and put in a great team performance. Set pieces were important and we also defended well as a team. 
''I liked Robert Thomson's physicality, in his first start of this season, and as a team, as a defensive unit, I am very proud. To come and get a clean sheet is very good."
Morton will be without Gary Oliver, out for  2 months with a broken collarbone. Midfielder Kyle Thomson left the club this week, having made just one appearance since his move to Greenock in the summer. 

Third plays seventh in the Highlands tomorrow with the home side keen to make up ground on the top 2 clubs in the division, while visitors Dunfermline look to extend a good away record in what has otherwise been a disappointing League campaign so far.
​Here is the current Championship table:

DUNFERMLINE
The dismal home defeat to Falkirk a fortnight ago signalled the start of a 2 week gap between games for the Pars, a period that for some would have been an opportune time to bring in a new management team, given the team's underwhelming season and a particularly poor home record. Had results at East End Park mirrored the team's away form, then the game this weekend may have been a top of the table fixture; Dunfermline have gathered 11 points from 6 away games, but only 4 points from 7 home matches. The Pars board, led by chairman Ross McArthur, have stuck by their manager - a case of either supreme loyalty, belief, or on the flip side of that argument - blind faith or lack of funds to fire him. 
As fans of the club, we all want our manager to succeed. Allan Johnston is a decent guy and it is hard to bear any ill will towards him. However, the team are currently 15 points off the top of the table and less than a handful of points from being involved at the wrong end of the division. Ultimately, that's what matters. 

Team, formation etc
Injured:
Mark Durnan (recovering from hernia operation) 
Tom Beadling (not near game-ready after his latest injury)
Louis Longridge (going for an operation according to Allan Johnston)
Aidan Keena (returned to parent club Hearts after picking up a dead leg against Falkirk, and still unfit)
While the defence largely picks itself - although there could be a case to involve a now fully fit Lewis Martin, who can play anywhere across the backline - it is in the midfield and forward positions that decisions will be made for this week's lineup. Assuming we retain the 4-4-2 formation, I would expect Kallum Higginbotham to keep his place on the right wing. The other 3 midfield positions are very much up for grabs. The central 2 positions could be occupied by the same 2 players that started the last 2 games - Malaury Martin and Joe Thomson. James Vincent and James Craigen could come into contention, as would Tom Beadling if he is ever match fit for any period of time. As much as I rate Malaury Martin, I would bring in James Craigen for this game as the Ross County team are known for being physical, and Martin has shown that he can be out-muscled - a sad comment on the Scottish game, perhaps. 
​On the left midfield, Myles Hippolyte did very little against Falkirk. I would bring back Aidan Connolly on the understanding that he stays out wide and is not used as a striker at any point, something Allan Johnston has tried in recent games.
Up front, With Aidan Keena out injured, and Andy Ryan out of form, that leaves Faissal El Bakhtaoui, Robbie Muirhead and Hippolyte (if used as a striker) to choose from. This really should be the time for Muirhead to be given a chance but I have not been impressed by him in reserve games or in his brief substitute appearances for the first team. A pairing of Faissal and Myles Hippolyte could start, with Ryan and Muirhead on the bench. We are desperately short of options in attack.
Preferred starting 11:

ROSS COUNTY
Pre-season title favourites County go into tomorrow's game without as many as 6 first team regulars. Already out are long-term absentees Michael Gardyne and Liam Fontaine. They could be joined by Billy McKay, Ross Draper, Iain Vigurs and Callum Morris. Vigurs was on crutches earlier in the week; Morris, who only returned to training on Monday, broke his wrist during his first session back. McKay and Draper are both carrying injuries but could still be in contention depending on their speed of recovery.
County co-manager Stuart Kettlewell told local media: “We’ve had a few problems this week. Iain Vigurs picked up a problem in training. Billy McKay took a whack and Ross Draper is also struggling. We can’t put a timescale on any of them, but some may have a chance for Saturday.
“We’re looking at a lot of big players on the injury-list again. For this time of year it is unusual, but we’re not going to beat ourselves up about it.​ Young Tom Grivosti came in and played excellently against Motherwell Colts (in the Irn Bru Cup), so as much as we have a few injuries to deal with, we’ve a couple of guys ready to take advantage.
“Tom has been the prime candidate from the younger batch here who are pushing through and doing well.”

Seventh meets tenth in this weekend's derby at East End Park. Dunfermline can extend the current unbeaten run against Falkirk to a fifth game, while aiming for what would be just a second home win in the Championship this season. Falkirk are rooted to the foot of the table in what has been a dreadful season for the club - long may it continue!
​Here is the current Championship table:

DUNFERMLINE
There has rarely been a more straightforward win against Falkirk than in the most recent fixture between the teams, when the Pars won 2-0 at the home of our rivals last month. That game was followed by 2 defeats and a draw before last week's win at Alloa. This uneven sequence is why the team are still in the wrong half of the table, in 7th place; only 4 points off the top 4 but having scored the least number of goals, and with the worst goal difference, of the top 7 teams.
The team have, however, shown promise in the past 2 outings - the draw at Inverness and then the previously-mentioned game at Alloa. Goalscoring is still a concern but there is enough ability in the team to see off Falkirk before we have a week off next week due to the scheduled game against Ross County being moved because of the Highlanders' participation in the Irn Bru Cup. 

Team, formation, etc
The team that ended the game at Alloa last week - with the exception of Aidan Keena replacing last week's sub striker Faissal El Bakhtaoui - would be my lineup for tomorrow's game. This would see the right wing combination of Ryan Williamson and Kallum Higginbotham reunited for a first team start together for the first time in several months - injuries to both players plus Ryzo's involvement with the Scotland Under 21 squad has deprived the team of 2 of its best players, who also combine better than any other duo in the squad. 
The rest of the team should stay the same - Keena to start up front, with Faissal coming off the bench. As mentioned in the Wishlist article here, I would like to see AJ utilising his subs as he did last weekend, giving players time to make an impact.  
Tom Beadling, Mark Durnan and Louis Longridge are still unavailable through injury.
Preferred starting 11:

FALKIRK
Inheriting a shambles from former boss Paul Hartley, Falkirk manager Ray McKinnon has struggled to oversee any improvement in his team's results since taking over. Limited to signing out of contract players, McKinnon has largely had to make do with Hartley's signings, and must be counting down the days until the January transfer window opens. Ex-Hearts midfielder Prince Buaben joined on 1 October, after being without a club since the end of last season.
McKinnon had this to say to local media this week:
"I’m using all my contacts from when I was running courses for the SFA and you come across a lot of coaches and different people. I know Duncan Ferguson at Everton and players are being mentioned to us. 
"It’s not just about contacts. It’s about the best quality of young players being available to come to Scotland. A lot of teams in England look at clubs to send their players out to the Championship clubs – Premier League sides can send their best youngster out to Aston Villa for example. They might think of the next level down to League One for some – they can go to Sunderland there. So you need to be very careful of what sort of players are available to come to Scotland. We are working hard between now and January to see what we can source.
“The club made a statement about there being funds there which is great and very supportive and we are appreciative of that. We have just got to make sure that if we can use it that we use it wisely. We need to bring players in that are better than what we’ve got and get the right balance in the team. We are looking at changing the dynamics of the team and that’s what we will work on for the next eight weeks.”
McKinnon added to his squad this week with the signing of former Portsmouth and Partick Thistle rightback Mustapha Dumbaya, although the Falkirk manager stated that the player, given an initial 8 week contract, is still short of match fitness. 

Ninth plays seventh in this week's Championship match at the Indodrill Stadium in Alloa. Dunfermline have found Alloa difficult opponents this season, with a goalless draw in the League fixture at East End Park on 15 September, and a 2-2 draw in the Irn Bru Cup last month, which was followed by Alloa winning the penalty shootout at the end of the 90 minutes to progress to the next round.
Here is the current Championship table:

DUNFERMLINE
Dunfermline ended October with 1 win from 4 League matches and occupying seventh place in the table. Such is the competitive nature of the division, there is still a closeable gap of 5 points between the Pars and the fourth place that would secure involvement in another promotion play-off come the end of the season. However, the gap between Dunfermline and the teams below (including tomorrow's opponents) is slender and we should expect some improvement in the months ahead from Partick Thistle and Falkirk, currently eighth and tenth. 
Aidan Keena's 2 goals at Inverness gave the team a huge boost and the teenage on-loan Hearts striker will lead the Pars attack tomorrow. Goals need to come from other areas however; of our central midfielders, only James Vincent and Joe Thomson have scored this season, and they have just 1 goal apiece. Our top scorers are on 5 goals - Myles Hippolyte, Louis Longridge and Andy Ryan.

Team, formation, etc
Five changes were made to the team that faced Inverness - some through choice and others (Tom Beadling and James Vincent, replaced by Malaury Martin and Joe Thomson) through injury. James Craigen, who had been ineffectual in right midfield against Dundee United last weekend, moved to right back at the expense of Ryan Williamson. While I look forward to the eventual reuniting of the Williamson/Higginbotham right wing combination, I would retain Craigen in defence for the immediate future. The other changes were all largely successful - the biggest success obviously being Aidan Keena, with 2 goals on his first start for the team.  Beadling and Vincent are expected to miss tomorrow's game and so I would select the same 11 players to start the match. I would like to see Higgy get some much needed game time from the bench for at least 20 minutes. 
​Preferred starting 11:

ALLOA
As Dunfermline have experienced in games against Alloa this season, the Wasps are a well-organised side that have made themselves difficult to beat, while lacking the creativity required to win a greater number of games. Being the only part time club in the division, avoiding relegation will be a successful season for Alloa and their manager Jim Goodwin, who completed 100 matches in charge last weekend. Goodwin reflected on his time in charge of the club and his hopes for this season, speaking to local media:
''I'm very lucky to have been given the opportunity 2 years ago. I'm delighted to be here - I'm really enjoying my time here. I've got great backroom staff, great people up the stairs but more importantly I've got a great group of players that are now starting to believe that they are more than capable of competing at this level. People wrote us off before a ball was kicked, expecting us to be detached but the fact of the matter is, we're more than matching the opposition. I can't fault the players' effort - they give me absolutely everything and if they carry on doing that, they'll be fine.
''My ambition is to go full time but I'm not in any hurry - I'm 36 years old and very young when you consider some of the other managers that are out there. I'm loving life at Alloa at the moment. If I'm here for another hundred games then fantastic - it would mean I'm doing something right. It's a great place to be, I've got a great relationship with the chairman - he knows I want to go full time but at the same time this is a great place for me to learn. The longer I'm here, the more I'll learn."

Fifth plays seventh in what will be a chilly Highland evening, with both teams looking for a win to end recent winless runs. Inverness are specialists at avoiding defeat but have drawn too many games, while Dunfermline need to rediscover the spirit shown in the last League meeting between the sides at the Caledonian Stadium in April. 
Here is the current Championship table:

DUNFERMLINE
Despite being only 5 points off the promotion pack - largely due to so many teams taking points off each other, pulling the division together with few gaps yet to develop - there is a definite air of despondency in the Pars team and support. The team's form has been uninspiring, while the manager has yet to show any signs of being able to fire up his underperforming squad. Saturday's tepid display in the defeat to Dundee United characterised recent form; there is a fragility within this group of players and a lack of bite, an unwillingness to fight for a result. There is talent - early season games showed that much - but a winning mentality must be developed otherwise this could be a very long, hard season.

Team, formation etc
With the above comments in mind, the team I have selected for this evening's game has a slightly more physical edge to it than recent lineups. The defence almost selects itself, given the lack of options (Mark Durnan and Lewis Martin are injured), but in midfield I was glad to see Tom Beadling complete his first 90 minutes of first team football this season at the weekend, and he will hopefully progress from that and be a big influence on the team. Alongside Beadling, I would reinstate Malaury Martin, who is technically the team's best footballer.
The wings have been a major problem lately, with no player making a decent claim for a sustained run in the team. AJ has stuck with Louis Longridge for too long - we still don't know exactly what his ''best'' position is, so I would move him to the bench for tonight's game. Kallum Higginbotham has had 2 run-outs in reserve games and has had a further week's training since last week's most recent reserve game. I would start him tonight, even though he may not last the full game. We need his skill and aggression back in the team, and also to reunite the right wing partnership with Ryan Williamson. On the left, I would select Myles Hippolyte, partly for his height: we need a mixture of taller players in the team, so I would select Hippolyte and Beadling rather than Joe Thomson and Aidan Connolly; Inverness are a tall, physical side and we need to counter that effectively. 
Up front, Faissal should be rested. I have selected Andy Ryan and Aidan Keena - we need a new approach to our goalscoring problems and Keena deserves a chance to show what he can do. Having seen Robbie Muirhead in reserve games, I do not feel he is the answer.
Preferred Pars line-up:

INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE
Undefeated in the past 21 League games stretching back to last season, Inverness have drawn too many games (including their last 5) and although conceding 10 goals less in the League than Dunfermline, have won the same number of games as the Pars this term: 3. 
The goalless draw at Alloa on Saturday did not please Inverness boss John Robertson. Always one of Scottish football's most candid managers, Robertson looked back on the game at Alloa and his team's recent form: 
​"Alloa deserved to win the game. We didn't get going - we didn't pass, we didn't move. We spoke to the players at half time about what we needed - on and off the ball - and while we improved in the second half, it was nowhere near to the level you need to win games. 
''It's another draw and in the past we've been disappointed at dropping points, today is a point gained as we didn't deserve anything from that performance. I apologise to the Inverness fans who travelled down because we were nowhere near at it. We put a wee bit of pressure on them at the end but it would have been daylight robbery if we'd come away with all 3 points.
''We need to start winning games. That's 10 games and 7 draws. We need to find a way to unlock defences, whether it's a formation change or a personnel change."

Seventh plays fourth in this Championship game at East End Park tomorrow, with an improved Dundee United side hoping to maintain their unbeaten start under recently-appointed manager Robbie Neilson. Dunfermline are looking for just a second home League win of the season and badly need a positive result to prevent a gap developing under the top 4 teams.
Here is the current Championship table:

DUNFERMLINE
Tomorrow's game against United will bring a different type of challenge to a Pars side which was able to dominate possession in the last League game, at home to Queen of the South, last Saturday. United are unlikely to concede the ball as much as a Queens side that were happy to occasionally hit on the break. That their only shot at goal gave them a 1-0 win merely added to the frustration in the EEP stands and put manager Allan Johnston under pressure once again. Recent results may have improved but performances have been well below the standard required of a serious promotion contending team. We need to see a return to the form showed in the second half of the opening day win at Tannadice, or the Betfred Cup game against Hearts, which even in defeat produced a spirited and commendable Pars performance.

Team, formation, etc
Last week's team was unchanged from that which drew and then lost a penalty shootout to Alloa the week before in the Irn Bru Cup. Allan Johnston rarely makes changes, or not to any great extent, but there is a need to refresh the team, which has become predictable and stagnant. Having seen fringe players lose at Falkirk in the Reserve League on Tuesday, very few made a real stake for a first team place, which was very disappointing; while many fans have called for Tom Beadling and Robbie Muirhead to play against United tomorrow, neither player impressed against Falkirk reserves, and if judged on that alone do not look better options than the players currently in the first team. So while there is a need to refresh, options are limited. 
Ryan Williamson had a decent game in the reserve match and should come back into the first team tomorrow. Last week we had nothing on the right, with makeshift rightback James Craigen lacking pace to get up the wing, and right winger Louis Longridge continually drifting infield. Kallum Higginbotham has played 45 and 70 minutes in the last 2 reserve matches but is not yet fit enough to start a first team game; the sooner he and Williamson reunite on the right, the better.
If Mark Durnan has fully recovered from his recent injury he should replace Danny Devine in central defence; I would change the wide areas with both Louis Longridge and Aidan Connolly benched and replaced by James Craigen (moving back into midfield) and Myles Hippolyte. I would be very surprised if AJ made those changes. 
​Up front, I would give Aidan Keena a start alongside Andy Ryan. 
​Preferred starting 11:

DUNDEE UNITED
After dispensing with circus clown Csaba Laszlo, United have picked up 4 points from 6 under new boss Robbie Neilson. With 3 ex-Pars in the United squad, including 2 who rejected new contracts with Dunfermline (Nicky Clark and Fraser Aird), there is an added spice to the match. United's form has undoubtedly picked up and they will benefit from having a competent manager in the dugout, something they haven't had for quite some time.
Robbie Neilson had this to say in the lead up to this weekend's game:
“Obviously Dunfermline did well in the Betfred Cup and then they had a great start to the season against Dundee United at Tannadice winning 3-2. I watched a bit of the game before I came in here and it was a great performance. It has been a bit sticky since then.
“I think they have found it a wee bit difficult to get some momentum. But this league is difficult. I watched their game against Queen of the South on Saturday and they probably deserved to win it. But they lost a poor goal towards the end and dropped three points.
“It is going to be a tough game as it always is down there. I would like to think we will take a very good support to East End Park and if we display the same energy as we showed the previous two Saturdays, then there is a good chance of getting a result.”

Fifth plays sixth in tomorrow's game at East End Park, with a Pars side that has conceded just 1 League goal in the past 4 Championship games coming up against the player with the best goals to game ratio in all European football this season, Stephen Dobbie. Both teams exited the Irn Bru Cup last week but while Dunfermline's recent League results have shown a gradual improvement, Queens have hit a sticky spell with their last League victory coming back on September 1st. 
Here is the current Championship table:

DUNFERMLINE
The disappointment of effectively throwing away a victory in last weekend's Irn Bru Cup loss to Alloa, going out after a penalty shoot out following a 2-2 draw in a game we largely controlled, will hopefully act as the catalyst for a more clinical performance tomorrow, securing a win that would keep the Pars in touch of the top 4. After a poor run of results in August and early September, the Dunfermline team have been tighter at the back in recent Championship games. The past 4 League games have resulted in 2 draws and then 2 wins, with the team unbeaten over 90 minutes in the past 6 League and Cup fixtures. Despite this improvement, there are still deficiencies that bubble under the surface: the 2 defensive errors that handed Alloa both their goals last week, plus a lack of clinical edge in front of goal. 

Team, formation etc
Ryan Williamson is available again after being away with Scotland Under 21s. Kallum Higginbotham and Lewis Martin both made their returns from injury in the team's midweek Reserve Cup game against Motherwell, with both players featuring in the first half and requiring more game time before being ready for the first team. Mark Durnan, who missed the Alloa game with a groin injury, could be fit for tomorrow, with AJ stating that the player is still feeling "a niggle''. Tom Beadling continued his recovery from a long term injury absence with 90 minutes against Motherwell reserves. 
​For the game tomorrow, I would select Durnan if fit. Danny Devine, who was at fault for Alloa's second goal last week, would continue in central defence if Durnan has not recovered sufficiently. The only definite change I would make to last week's starting 11 would be to bring in Myles Hippolyte up front to replace Faissal El Bakhtaoui. I have consistently backed Faissal this season but with no League goals, a change has to be made at some point. Faissal has undoubted talent but does not look like a goal threat at the moment. Hippolyte, who has said that playing as a striker is his preferred position, would start in my team alongside Andy Ryan. As noted above, Devine's inclusion depends on the fitness of Durnan.
Preferred Pars line-up:

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH
The incredible goalscoring form of Stephen Dobbie - 24 goals in 16 games this season, with the best scoring rate per game in Europe - has masked Queen of the South's recent poor run of form, with no wins in their last 4 League games and an exit from the Irn Bru Cup last week at East Fife. Dobbie has scored 75% of Queens' League goals and is clearly the team's pivotal figure but when marshalled well by the opposition, as in the East Fife game, the chances of succeeding against the Dumfries side rise considerably. Only 6 players have scored for Queens this season in all League and Cup games - second top scorer Lyndon Dykes has 5 goals, and the team's non-Dobbie goals add up to 13, just over half of Dobbie's own total. 
Speaking after the defeat from East Fife last week, and referring to Queens' record against Championship opposition and also against lower division teams in the Cups this season, manager Gary Naysmith had this to say:
"I want them to be hurting as much as I'm hurting. That's 2 weeks now that I've said it - you're not going to win games playing well for 20 or 30 minutes and in the last 2 games that's what we've done. We've only played well for parts of the game and it's not good enough. We need to get it right and get a reaction from the players. We have to start keeping clean sheets. It's a worry - I don't like the fact that we've played against Ayr, Inverness and Ross County - the 3 top teams in the Championship and got 3 clean sheets, yet when we're playing East Fife or Stranraer, or Crusaders or Alloa, that we're conceding twos or threes. It's the same players that are playing and the same formation. Every game's difficult in the Championship but it's more difficult when you're giving away that goals that we are and it needs to stop.''

A Pars win over holders Inverness in the opening round of this season's Irn Bru Cup - with practically a reserve team - was followed up with a weekend away in Hertfordshire and a penalty shoot out win against Boreham Wood. Suddenly, the competition has become relevant, with many top end Championship teams already eliminated and a real chance of winning a trophy developing. Alloa make a second visit to EEP in 4 weeks after the dire goalless draw in the Championship game on 15 September. We can only hope for a much better game along with progression into the  next round - even those of us who initially derided the Irn Bru Cup. 

DUNFERMLINE
The 0-0 draw (followed by success in a penalty shoot-out) against Boreham Wood in the last round of the Irn Bru Cup began a sequence of games where the Pars defence tightened up, after shipping goals with worrying regularity (by the start of September we had the second worst goals against record in all 4 SPFL divisions). After Boreham Wood came a turgid 0-0 slog at home to Alloa, followed by a 1-1 draw at Morton - their goal being completely avoidable, a goalkeeping error - then 1-0 and 2-0 wins over Partick Thistle and Falkirk. The goal conceded at Morton is the only opposition goal in the past 456 minutes of Pars football; and while we have hardly been prolific in front of goal ourselves, the first priority for any team with ambitions to win more games than they lose is to stop conceding goals. That may sound obvious but it was the key to our revival last season and there are signs of a repeat this term. 

Pars team, formation etc
Allan Johnston stated yesterday that he would play an experienced team this weekend, with possibly a couple of changes. This would not reflect badly on any players dropping out of the starting 11 that defeated Falkirk so convincingly; the Irn Bru Cup gives the manager a chance to give certain players, including those returning from injury, game time. Who misses out tomorrow is a difficult decision, as to accomodate Tom Beadling would mean 'resting' James Vincent or Malaury Martin; while in defence, Danny Devine could be involved, at the expense of either Mark Durnan or Lee Ashcroft. 
Ryan Williamson is unavailable due to international duties with the Scotland Under 21 squad.
I would make just one change - bringing Beadling into the team. Vincent (who I rated our third best player against Falkirk in the 'Ranked' article here) would make way but might expect to be back in next week against Queen of the South in the Championship.

ALLOA
Lack of goals blighted Alloa's otherwise promising start to the season, with too many draws but few defeats. That was until last week, when they raced into a 3-0 lead at Queen of the South until a Stephen Dobbie hat trick meant the game ended 3-3. Another draw; they also achieved a creditable share of the points at Inverness after fighting back with 10 men to get a late equaliser; there have been draws too with Dundee United and ourselves. They were unfortunate not to get another point at Ross County, losing 1-0 to a late goal. So while Alloa have shown they can compete with more-fancied teams, they have still to prove that they can win. 
This summer, Alloa signed striker Greig Spence for the fourth time in his career (including loan spells) but after hitting 2 goals on his debut - a League Cup game against Arbroath - he failed to score in any of the following 10 matches and was an unused substitute last week at Palmerston. Lack of firepower may prove to be Alloa's undoing this season; before the 3-3 draw last week, they had scored just 3 goals in 7 League games.