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Dunfermline Athletic F.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dunfermline Athletic | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Dunfermline Athletic Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nickname(s) | The Pars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Founded | 2 June 1885 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | East End Park Dunfermline Fife (Capacity 11,998) |
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| Chairman |  John Yorkston |
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| Manager | Jim McIntyre (caretaker) |
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| League | Scottish First Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006-07 | SPL, 12th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dunfermline Athletic Football Club is a Scottish football team based in Dunfermline, Fife, commonly known as just Dunfermline. They play at East End Park and are nicknamed The Pars. They are currently managed by Jim McIntyre who is currently in charge on a temporary basis. He took over from Stephen Kenny in December of 2007. The previous manager Jim Leishman resigned on October 25, 2006, but remained as the director of football (the job which he had held previously before taking over from Davie Hay. After seven consecutive seasons in the SPL, the club was relegated to the Scottish First Division on 12 May 2007. In the same month, Dunfermline lost their 3rd major final in four years (losing to Celtic in the Scottish Cup final on May 27, 2007). Since Celtic had already qualified for Europe by winning the SPL, Dunfermline were able to compete in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup, thus managing the notable feat of being relegated and qualifying for Europe in the same season.
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Dunfermline Athletic won the Scottish Cup in 1961 and 1968, and played regular European football in the UEFA and European Cup Winners Cups throughout the 60s and early 70s. They reached the semi-final of the European Cup Winners Cup in season 68-69, losing 1-2 on aggregate to eventual winners Slovan Bratislava. On the way to the semi-final they beat APOEL, Olympiacos and West Bromwich Albion.In 1962 they reached the Cup-Winners Cup Quarter Finals. On they way they beat St. Patricks Athletic of Ireland and FK Vardar of Yugoslavia. In 1962-3 Dunfermline beat Everton in the Fairs Cup and then played Valencia, losing 0-4 away before winning 6-2 at home. They lost the subsequent play-off. During this time Dunfermline were managed by famous manager Jock Stein. Alex Ferguson was also in the Dunfermline squad between 1964 and 1967.
The club's 7 year stay in the SPL between 2000-2001 and 2006-07 was brought to an end on 12 May 2007 as they were relegated after losing 2-1 away to Inverness Caledonian Thistle. Their seven year stay proved to be patchy but endured some fine seasons. The 2002-2003 season saw them finish 5th, their highest position yet with Stephen Crawford scoring a whopping 19 goals. The following season, Dunfermline did even better finishing 4th place as well as reaching the final of the Scottish Cup which also in addition saw them qualify for the UEFA Cup. It was at this point after a fine season for the small club that saw Manager, Jimmy Calderwood and assistant Jimmy Nicholl leave the club to turn the fortunes of rivals, Aberdeen who themselves had finished in a paltry 11th place finish. This proved to be a downfall in the fortunes of the club. In 2004-2005 under the newly appointed David Hay the team ended up in the lower half of the SPL which led to Hay being sacked.Jim Leishman who was promoted to the manager's job for a second spell during April 2005 helped the team avoid relegation. However, a year later brought another equally disappointing season during 2005-2006 including an embarrassing 8-1 home defeat against Celtic F.C. in February 2006, Dunfermline's worst defeat since the formation of the SPL in 1998. This was in a season when the Pars also reached the final of the Scottish League Cup known as the 'CIS' Cup losing 3-0 to Celtic F.C. at Hampden Park. The 2006-07 season proved to be a bad start and Leishman returned to his job upstairs with Stephen Kenny appointed as the new manager in October 2006. However he could not turn round the fortunes of the club nor repeat Calderwood's success in the league as neither could the previous two managers. Perhaps the sales of star players such as Stephen Crawford, Craig Brewster and Barry Nicholson in the preceding season were key to losing the battle to avoid relegation.
After relegation to the First Division, Dunfermline lost two of their main players in goalkeeper Dorus de Vries who signed for Welsh side Swansea City and midfielder Gary Mason who opted to stay in the SPL with St. Mirren. After losing the opening game of the season 2-1 to Hamilton Academical, The Pars played against a Manchester United XI in Scott Thomson's testimonial match, losing 4-0. Their first UEFA Cup match since defeat against Hafnarfjörður in 2004 came against Swedish Superettan team BK Häcken at home where they drew one all.[1][2] Dunfermline continued to play badly and it took four games into the season for them to record their first win. The return leg was played in Gothenburg two weeks later. Dunfermline lost the game 1-0, losing 2-1 on aggregate.[3][4] The team, who at the start of the season were favourites to go straight back up found themselves in 9th position after only 7 games, recording only one win. One positive aspect of the new season was the team managing to get to the final of the Challenge Cup beating Clyde,[5] Airdrie[6] and Ayr United[7] on the way. On the 25th of November The Pars were defeated 3-2 by St Johnstone at Dens Park.[8] The date of the final was changed from the [[November 4|4th of November to the 25th because it would have required the postponement of First Division games involving the pair.[9] After one year in charge, Stephen Kenny's Dunfermline side languished near the bottom of the First Division Table. On the 4th of December 2007, Kenny was sacked as Dunfermline Athletic manager. Striker Jim McIntyre took charge as caretaker head-coach of the club.[10] Mcintyre's first match in charge was a home clash against Clyde on the 8th December 2007. The Pars managed to scrape a one all draw.
According to Black and White Magic, a 1984 book about the club by Jim Paterson and Douglas Scott, there are numerous theories as to the origin of the club's nickname, the Pars. The authors wrote:
Most tend to confirm the more common belief that the name arose from the team's parallel striped shirts, their drinking habits or their style of play. The latter were both described as "paralytic". The earliest theory claims that in the early days when the Football Club was closely connected with the Cricket Club, the footballers were renowned for their performances at the bar and so were called the "Paralytics".
However in the early 1900s it is known that Athletic's nickname was the "Dumps" - shortened from Dunfermline - and this is said to have been coined by English sailors visiting East End Park when their ship docked at Rosyth. After the 1914-18 War they were known as the Pars and some believe the parallel black and white stripes to be the reason.
Another school of thought involves English workers who came to work at the armaments depot at Crombie and at Rosyth Dockyard; they kept their association with their local team by forming the Plymouth Argyle (Rosyth) Supporters Club and it is said that the Dunfermline nickname comes from the banners in evidence around the ground.
Although almost certainly coincidental, there is also a curious resemblance to Dùn Phàrlain, which is the Gaelic name for Dunfermline.
The current Dunfermline Athletic club badge was designed in 1957 by Colin Dymock, an art teacher at Dunfermline High School.
The "DAFC" represents the initals of the club, with the tower depicting the Malcolm Canmore Tower. The tower was adopted by the town of Dunfermline to be used for the Burgh Arms and old way seals. Malcolm Canmore was King of Scotland from 1057 to 1093, and made his residence in Dunfermline within what is now Pittencrieff Park. The park is represented by the blue and black area behind the tower.
The green area at the bottom of the crest is meant to represent East End Park.
Like other football clubs, Dunfermline has a number of songs and anthems. This was changed for Stephen Kenny's first official match in charge against Aberdeen to Teenage Kicks by The Undertones, the song which Derry City run out to, but has since returned to "Into The Valley" by local band "The Skids".
Dunfermline Athletic have played competitive European matches in the following countries:
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- For a list of Dunfermline Athletic's 2007-08 transfers, see here.
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- Scottish Premier League, 4th Place - 2004
- Scottish First Division (2) - 1989, 1996
- Scottish Second Division (2) - 1926, 1986
- Scottish Cup (2) - 1961, 1968; Runners-up (3) - 1965, 2004, 2007
- Scottish League Cup - Runners-up 1950, 1992, 2006
- Cup Winner's Cup semi-finalists 1969
- Cup Winner's Cup quarter-finalists 1962
- Inter Cities Fairs Cup quarter-finalists 1965-1966
- Highest home attendance: 27,816 vs Celtic, 1968
- Biggest league win: 11-2 vs. Stenhousemuir, 1930
- Biggest league defeat: 10-0 vs. Dundee, 22 March 1947]]
- Biggest all-time defeat: 17-2 vs. Clackmannan, Midland League, 1891
- Most capped player: Istvan Kozma, 40 for (Hungary), 1989-1992
- Most appearances: Norrie McCathie, 576 (497 league), 1981-1996
- Most career goals: Charles Dickson, 212 (154 league), 1955-1964
- Record transfer free paid: £540,000 to Girondins de Bordeaux for Istvan Kozma, 9 August 1989
- Record transfer free received: £650,000 from Celtic for Jackie McNamara, 4 October 1995
- ^ Dunfermline 1 BK Häcken 1. Retrieved on August 16, 2007.
- ^ Pars held by Swedes. Retrieved on August 16, 2007.
- ^ BK Hacken 1 Dunfermline 0. Retrieved on August 30, 2007.
- ^ BK Hacken 1 Dunfermline 0. Retrieved on August 30, 2007.
- ^ Clyde 1-4 Dunfermline Athletic. Retrieved on September 5, 2007.
- ^ Airdrie 0-2 Dunfermline. Retrieved on September 18, 2007.
- ^ Dunfermline Athletic 1-0 Ayr Utd. Retrieved on October 2, 2007.
- ^ Dunfermline Ath 2-3 St Johnstone. Retrieved on November 25, 2007.
- ^ Challenge Cup final date changed. Retrieved on October 4, 2007.
- ^ Pars part company with boss Kenny. Retrieved on December 4, 2007.
- Official Club website
- The Fans Website
- Dunfermline Athletic mad -- Unofficial Pars
- Dunfermline Athletic BBC My Club page