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6 games unbeaten at the Falkirk Stadium: Dunfermline’s red cards, former Bairns and bragging rights stretching back to 2017

The Pars are seeking to upset the Championship leaders on their own patch.

Aaron Comrie challenges for a high ball for Dunfermline Athletic.
Dunfermline's clashes with rivals Falkirk are always hotly contested. Image: Craig Brown / DAFC.

Dunfermline will make the short journey over the Forth trying to extend a remarkable six-game unbeaten run against Falkirk on enemy soil.

The Pars have not been beaten away from home against their bitter rivals since October 2017 – and in the league since February that year.

The fixture fell off the calendar for a few years when the Bairns were relegated from the Championship in 2019.

But it was revived when Dunfermline followed their old foes into League One two years ago.

This afternoon’s eagerly-anticipated clash will be the first in the Championship at the Falkirk Stadium since December 2018.

Courier Sport has taken a look back at Dunfermline’s undefeated sequence.

Kallum Higginbotham celebrates scoring for the Pars.
Kallum Higginbotham turned in some pivotal performances for Dunfermline against old club Falkirk. Image: Craig Brown / DAFC.

1. Falkirk 1-1 Dunfermline, 04/11/2017

The match that sparked the current run – and it was certainly eventful.

Kallum Higginbotham first made his name north of the border with Falkirk and returned to haunt his old club on a couple of occasions.

Nicky Clark was brought down in the box and Higginbotham gleefully despatched the spot-kick in the 28th minute.

However, he then picked up a second booking to see red in the 56th minute to hand the hosts the initiative.

Jordan McGhee levelled things up with a free-kick before Declan McManus was sent-off in injury-time for a second yellow card to leave the Pars with just nine men.

Nathan Austin’s header then crashed back off the inside of the post to deny Falkirk a dramatic winner.

Fraser Aird in action for Dunfermline Athletic F.C.
Fraser Aird crossed the Falkirk-Dunfermline divide before going on to play for Dundee United. Image: SNS.

2. Falkirk 1-2 Dunfermline, 07/04/2018

Higginbotham was again heavily involved against his old club as he netted the opener after 23 minutes.

It was the winger’s first goal since the previous clash away at Falkirk.

Fraser Aird, who had spent the second half of the season before with the Bairns after leaving Rangers, then added a second for Dunfermline just after the break.

The home side sparked hopes of a comeback with Aaron Muirhead’s penalty 11 minutes from time.

However, the Pars held on for a win that boosted their hopes of a promotion play-off spot.

Myles Hippolyte in action for DAFC as Dundee United's Sam Stanton challenges.
Myles Hippolyte (right) was another who went on to play for Dunfermline after a spell at Falkirk.

3. Falkirk 0-2 Dunfermline, 06/10/2018

Dunfermline racked up another deserved win against their rivals and, again, an ex-Falkirk player was at the heart of it.

Andy Ryan got the ball rolling for the Pars with a headed opener five minutes before the break.

The Fifers finished the game with 18 shots at goal compared to their hosts’ three and removed any doubts over the outcome in the last minute of normal time.

It was Myles Hippolyte, who had spent two seasons previously with Falkirk, who sealed the victory to leave his old club rooted to the bottom of the Championship.

Tom Beadling celebrates a Pars goal with Jackson Longridge.
Tom Beadling (centre right) was Dunfermline’s two-goal hero against Falkirk in 2018.

4. Falkirk 2-4 Dunfermline, 29/12/2018

Falkirk got off to the best possible start with a Joe McKee opener inside the first two minutes.

However, Hippolyte again punctured his old club with the leveller in the 13th minute.

Higginbotham then set up Tom Beadling with a free-kick just four minutes later.

And then the winger provided the assist again six minutes after the interval for Beadling to grab a second and shoot Dunfermline into a 3-1 lead.

It got even better for the Pars in the 67th minute as James Vincent burst into the box to flash in his only league goal for the club.

Scott Harrison curled in a second for Falkirk with 16 minutes left but it was scant consolation for the basement boys.

Craig Wighton celebrates his winning goal against Falkirk.
Craig Wighton (second left) celebrates his winning goal against Falkirk. Image: Craig Brown / DAFC.

5. Falkirk 0-1 Dunfermline, 05/11/2022

The first clash of the teams in Falkirk in almost four years went the way of Dunfermline.

In front of a 7,000-strong sell-out crowd, the Pars stretched their lead at the top of League One to seven points.

In a game of few goalmouth opportunities, the Fifers nullified the attacking threat of their hosts for the majority of the game.

And Craig Wighton’s header on the hour mark was enough for the East End Park men to head home with all three points.

Pars manager James McPake celebrates a victory over Falkirk.
James McPake has lost just once in five games against Falkirk as Dunfermline manager. Image: SNS.

6. Falkirk 2-2 Dunfermline, 08/04/2023

The most recent encounter between the sides at the Falkirk Stadium finished with a 2-2 draw.

It was a result that inched the Pars closer to the League One title.

They had to come from behind to earn a hard-fought point after Aidan Nesbitt’s eighth-minute opener and a second from Rumarn Burrell in the 33rd minute.

But Wighton pulled one back for Dunfermline with a header just two minutes later from a Lewis McCann cross.

And then McCann himself fired in the equaliser from the edge of the box.

The Fifers held on for the draw and a week later clinched promotion back to the Championship before finishing 14 points ahead of their rivals.

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