2018–19 Dunfermline Athletic F.C. season explained

Club:	Dunfermline Athletic
Season:	2018–19
Manager:	Allan Johnston^[1] ^[2] (Until 9 January 2019) Stevie Crawford^[3] ^[4] (From 10 January 2019)
Chairman:	Ross McArthur^[5]
Stadium:	East End Park Dunfermline, Scotland (Capacity: 11,480)
League:	Championship
League Result:	7th
Cup1:	Challenge Cup
Cup1 Result:	Third round (lost to Alloa Athletic)
Cup2:	League Cup
Cup2 Result:	Second round (lost to Heart of Midlothian)
Cup3:	Scottish Cup
Cup3 Result:	Fourth round (lost to Raith Rovers)
League Topscorer:	Bruce Anderson (5)^[6]
Season Topscorer:	Myles Hippolyte &<br />Louis Longridge (6)
Highest Attendance:	League: 6,349^[7] vs. Dundee United (27 October 2018) Cup: 8,601^[8] vs. Heart of Midlothian (18 August 2018)
Lowest Attendance:	League: 4,347 vs. Ross County (2 February 2019) Cup: 1,046 vs. Inverness CT (17 July 2018)
Average Attendance:	5,015 (228^[9])
Largest Win:	League: (1 December 2018) (26 February 2019) Cup: (25 July 2018)
Largest Loss:	League: (25 August 2018) Cup: (18 August 2018)
Pattern La1:	_blackborder
Pattern B1:	_DAFC_home_1819
Pattern Ra1:	_blackborder
Shorts1:	000000
Socks1:	000000
Pattern B2:	_DAFC_away_1819
Leftarm2:	CBCFD8
Rightarm2:	CBCFD8
Pattern B3:	_DAFC_third_1819
Leftarm3:	FF0000
Rightarm3:	FF0000
Shorts3:	000000
Socks3:	000000
Prevseason:	2017–18
Nextseason:	2019–20
Updated:	4 May 2019

The 2018–19 season was Dunfermline Athletic's third season in the Scottish Championship, having finished 4th in the 2017–18 season.

Season review

January

• 9 Jan 2019: After three-and-a-half years, Allan Johnston resigned as manager, along with assistant manager Sandy Clark. In a brief statement, club chairman Ross McArthur thanked both coaches for their efforts.^{[10] [11]} First-team coach Stevie Crawford was announced as interim manager for the following league match against Dundee United.
• 10 Jan 2019: Crawford was appointed as head coach the following day, with former Pars defender Greg Shields returning from America to take up the position of assistant head coach.^{[12] [13]} The club also announced changes to the management structure, with the appointment of former player Jackie McNamara as a consultant to offer ongoing technical support.

Squad list

^[14]

No.	Name	Nationality	Position	Date of Birth (Age)	Signed From	Signed in	Signed until	Apps.	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	Sean Murdoch		GK	1986 7, df=yes	Rochester Rhinos	2015	2019	114	0
16	Lee Robinson		GK	1986 7, df=yes	Queen of the South	2018	2019	49	0
20	Cammy Gill		GK	1998 4, df=yes	Dunfermline Athletic youth teams	2016	2019	4	0
40	Ryan Scully		GK	1992 10, df=yes	Greenock Morton	2019	2019	101	0
Defenders
2	Ryan Williamson		DF	1996 3, df=yes	Dunfermline Athletic youth teams	2013	2019	136	1
3	Jackson Longridge		DF	1995 4, df=yes	Livingston	2018	2020	41	5
4	Lewis Martin		DF	1996 4, df=yes	Dunfermline Athletic youth teams	2012	2019	131	3
5	Mark Durnan		DF	1992 11, df=yes	Dundee United	2018	2019	20	0
6	Lee Ashcroft		DF	1993 8, df=yes	Kilmarnock	2016	2020	132	8
14	Danny Devine		DF	1992 9, df=yes	Partick Thistle	2018	2020	37	2
Midfielders
7	Kallum Higginbotham		MF	1989 6, df=yes	Kilmarnock	2016	2019	113	19
8	Tom Beadling		MF	1996 1, df=yes	Sunderland	2018	2020	30	4
10	Louis Longridge		MF	1991 7, df=yes	Falkirk	2018	2019	29	6
11	Aidan Connolly		MF	1995 8, df=yes	York City	2018	2019	25	1
15	Myles Hippolyte		MF	1994 11, df=yes	St Mirren	2018	2020	39	6
17	Joe Thomson		MF	1997 1, df=yes	Celtic	2018	2020	32	2
19	James Vincent		MF	1989 9, df=yes	Dundee (loan)	2018	2019	44	2
28	James Craigen		MF	1991 3, df=yes	Falkirk	2018	2019	58	2
35	Ryan Blair		MF	1996 2, df=yes	Swansea City (loan)	2019	2019	11	1
Forwards
9	Andy Ryan		FW	1994 9, df=yes	Airdrieonians	2017	2019	43	13
12	Bruce Anderson		FW	1998 9, df=yes	Aberdeen (loan)	2019	2019	13	5
18	Faissal El Bakhtaoui		FW	1992 11, df=yes	Dundee (loan)	2018	2019	125	46
23	Callum Smith		FW	1999 11, df=yes	Fife Elite Football Academy	2016	2020	25	4
36	Robbie Muirhead		FW	1996 3, df=yes	Milton Keynes Dons	2018	2019	14	0

Results & fixtures

Scottish Championship

See main article: 2018–19 Scottish Championship.

Scottish League Cup

See main article: 2018–19 Scottish League Cup.

Matches

Scottish Challenge Cup

See main article: 2018–19 Scottish Challenge Cup.

Scottish Cup

See main article: 2018–19 Scottish Cup.

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

During the 2018–19 season, Dunfermline used twenty-eight different players in competitive matches. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player. Defender and captain Lee Ashcroft made the most appearances, playing forty-four out of a possible 45 games. Myles Hippolyte and Louis Longridge scored the most goals, with six in all competitions. Loanee Bruce Anderson finished as the top-scorer for league matches, with 5 goals.

|-|colspan="14"|Players away from the club on loan:|-|colspan="14"|Players who appeared for Dunfermline Athletic but left during the season:|}

Clean sheets

width=15		width=15		width=15		width=150	Name	width=80	Total	width=80	Scottish Championship	width=80	Scottish Cup	width=80	Scottish League Cup	width=80	Scottish Challenge Cup
16	GK		Lee Robinson	10	7		2	1
40	GK		Ryan Scully	6	6
Total				16	13	0	2	1 Goalscorers During the 2018–19 season, sixteen Dunfermline players scored 51 goals in all competitions, with 2 goals having been an own goal. width=60 Place width=60 Position width=60 Nation width=150 Name width=80 Total width=80 Scottish Championship width=80 Scottish Cup width=80 Scottish League Cup width=80 Scottish Challenge Cup 1 FW Louis Longridge 6 3 1 2 MF Myles Hippolyte 6 2 4 3 FW Bruce Anderson 5 5 DF Jackson Longridge 5 4 1 FW Andy Ryan 5 2 3 6 FW Aidan Keena 4 4 7 FW Faissal El Bakhtaoui 3 1 2 8 MF Tom Beadling 3 3 MF Joe Thomson 2 2 DF Danny Devine 2 1 1 MF James Vincent 2 1 1 MF Kallum Higginbotham 2 1 1 13 MF Ryan Blair 1 1 MF Aidan Connolly 1 1 MF James Craigen 1 1 FW Callum Smith 1 1 — Own goal 2 2 Total 51 33 0 14 4 Disciplinary record Squad number Position Nation Name Total Scottish Championship Scottish Cup Scottish League Cup Scottish Challenge Cup 6 DF Lee Ashcroft 4 1 4 1 7 DF Kallum Higginbotham 2 1 2 1 15 MF Myles Hippolyte 8 6 1 1 14 DF Danny Devine 5 4 1 18 FW Faissal El Bakhtaoui 4 4 28 MF James Craigen 5 4 1 3 DF Jackson Longridge 3 3 19 DF James Vincent 3 3 16 MF Lee Robinson 3 1 1 1 8 DF Tom Beadling 2 2 9 FW Andy Ryan 2 2 17 DF Joe Thomson 2 2 11 DF Aidan Connolly 1 1 12 FW Bruce Anderson 1 1 23 FW Callum Smith 1 1 35 FW Ryan Blair 1 1 36 FW Robbie Muirhead 1 1 5 DF Mark Durnan 1 1 12 MF Malaury Martin 1 1 27 MF Lewis McCann 1 1 Total 51 2 42 1 2 1 3 0 4 0 Club statistics League table Results summary Home attendances Comp Date Score Opponent Attendance League Cup 17 July 2018 3–0 Peterhead 1,848^[15] League Cup 28 July 2018 3–1 Stirling Albion 2,359^[16] Championship 11 August 2018 1–3 Ross County 4,949^[17] League Cup 18 August 2018 0–1 Heart of Midlothian 8,601^[18] Average league attendance: 4,949 Total league attendance: 4,949 Average total attendance: 4,439 Total attendance: 17,757 Awards Monthly Club Month Name August Jackson Longridge^[20] September James Craigen^[21] October Malaury Martin^[22] November Jackson Longridge^[23] December Joe Thomson^[24] January Joe Thomson^[25] February James Craigen^[26] March Ryan Scully^[27] Transfers First team Players in Date Position No. Nationality Name From Fee Ref. 1 June 2018 DF 3 Jackson Longridge Livingston Free ^[28] ^[29] 1 June 2018 FW 10 Louis Longridge Falkirk Free 6 June 2018 DF 14 Danny Devine Partick Thistle Free ^[30] ^[31] 6 June 2018 DF 5 Mark Durnan Dundee United Free ^[32] 15 June 2018 MF 17 Joe Thomson Celtic Free ^[33] ^[34] 18 June 2018 MF 18 Willo Flood Dundee United Free ^[35] ^[36] 20 June 2018 MF 11 Aidan Connolly York City Free ^[37] 1 July 2018 MF 8 Tom Beadling Sunderland Free ^[38] 13 July 2018 MF 15 Myles Hippolyte St Mirren Free ^[39] 31 August 2018 FW 36 Robbie Muirhead Milton Keynes Dons Free ^[40] 24 January 2019 GK 40 Ryan Scully Greenock Morton Free ^[41] Players out Date Position No. Nationality Name To Fee Ref. 23 May 2018 FW 10 Nicky Clark Dundee United Free ^[42] 31 May 2018 DF 4 Jean-Yves Mvoto Nybergsund Free ^[43] ^[44] 31 May 2018 DF 5 Callum Morris Ross County^[45] Free ^[46] 31 May 2018 MF 8 Nat Wedderburn Raith Rovers^[47] Free ^[48] ^[49] 31 May 2018 MF 11 Joe Cardle AFC Fylde^[50] Free ^[51] 31 May 2018 MF 13 Aaron Splaine Derry City^[52] Free ^[53] 31 May 2018 DF 14 Jason Talbot Cowdenbeath^[54] Free ^[55] ^[56] 31 May 2018 MF 15 Michael Paton Dumbarton^[57] Free 31 May 2018 MF 18 Conner Duthie Stenhousemuir^[58] Free ^[59] 31 May 2018 MF 19 Scott Lochhead Bentleigh Greens^[60] Free 31 May 2018 MF 27 Dean Shiels Derry City^[61] Free ^[62] ^[63] 1 June 2018 MF 17 Fraser Aird Dundee United Free ^[64] ^[65] 6 June 2018 FW 9 Declan McManus Ross Rounty Free ^[66] 27 June 2018 MF 18 Willo Flood Bali United Free ^[67] Loans in Date Position No. Nationality Name From Duration Ref. 3 July 2018 MF 19 James Vincent Dundee End of season ^[68] 12 July 2018 FW 18 Faissal El Bakhtaoui Dundee End of season ^[69] 31 August 2018 MF 12 Malaury Martin Heart of Midlothian End of season (recalled in January) ^[70] 31 August 2018 FW 35 Aidan Keena Heart of Midlothian End of season (recalled in January) 31 January 2019 FW 12 Bruce Anderson Aberdeen End of season ^[71] 31 January 2019 MF 35 Ryan Blair Swansea City End of season Loans out Contract extensions Date Position Nationality Name Length Expiry Ref. 17 May 2018 GK Lee Robinson 1 year 2019 ^[73] 17 May 2018 DF Lee Ashcroft 2 years 2020 17 May 2018 MF James Craigen 1 year 2019 24 May 2018 GK Craig Burt 1 year 2019 ^[74] 24 May 2018 MF Brandon Luke 1 year 2019 ^[75] 1 June 2018 DF Lewis Martin 1 year 2019 ^[76] 14 June 2018 MF Kallum Higginbotham 1 year 2019 ^[77] ^[78] References

Notes and References

1. Web site: DAFC appoint new First Team Manager . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 8 May 2015 . 8 May 2015.
2. Web site: Allan Johnston: Dunfermline appoint former Kilmarnock boss . BBC Sport . 8 May 2015 . 8 May 2015.
3. Web site: DAFC Announce Stevie Crawford as head coach . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 10 Jan 2019 . 10 Jan 2019.
4. Web site: Dunfermline: Stevie Crawford appointed head coach . BBC Sport . 10 Jan 2019 . 10 Jan 2019.
5. News: DAFC board changes . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 3 June 2016 . 3 June 2016.
6. Web site: 2018–19 Dunfermline Athletic top scorers . ESPN . 17 July 2018.
7. Web site: 2018–19 Dunfermline Athletic performance . ESPN . 15 August 2018.
8. Web site: 2018–19 Dunfermline Athletic League Cup performance . ESPN . 15 August 2018.
9. Web site: 2017–18 Dunfermline Athletic performance . ESPN . 28 April 2019.
10. Web site: Club Statement . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 9 Jan 2019 . 10 Jan 2019.
11. Web site: Dunfermline: Allan Johnston and club 'part company' . BBC Sport . 9 Jan 2019 . 10 Jan 2019.
12. Web site: DAFC Announce Stevie Crawford as head coach . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 10 Jan 2019 . 10 Jan 2019.
13. Web site: Dunfermline: Stevie Crawford appointed head coach . BBC Sport . 10 Jan 2019 . 10 Jan 2019.
14. Web site: Dunfermline Athletic team . Soccerbase . 5 May 2018.
15. Web site: Dunfermline 3–0 Peterhead . BBC Sport . 17 July 2018 . 17 July 2018.
16. Web site: Dunfermline 3–1 Stirling Albion . BBC Sport . 28 July 2018 . 28 July 2018.
17. Web site: Dunfermline 1–3 Ross County . Jim . Spence . BBC Sport . 11 August 2018 . 15 August 2018.
18. Web site: Dunfermline 0–1 Heart of Midlothian . Brian . McLaughlin . BBC Sport . 18 August 2018 . 20 August 2018.
19. Web site: Crawford voted manager of the month . Scottish Professional Football League . 7 March 2019 . 8 March 2019.
20. Web site: August Player of the Month announced . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 6 September 2018 . 3 February 2019.
21. Web site: Congratulations to @Cragsy28 who was named @SpecialistVW Player of the Month for September Well done James . Dunfermline Athletic FC . Twitter . 4 October 2018 . 3 February 2019.
22. Web site: Congratulations to #DAFC midfielder @MalauryMartin88 who has been voted as @SpecialistVW Player of the Month for October Well Done Mal . Dunfermline Athletic FC . Twitter . 8 November 2018 . 3 February 2019.
23. Web site: Congratulations to #DAFC defender Jackson Longridge who has been voted as @SpecialistVW Player of the Month for November. Well Done Jacko!! . Dunfermline Athletic FC . Twitter . 6 December 2018 . 3 February 2019.
24. Web site: Congratulations to midfielder @joe_thomsonn who was named #DAFC @SpecialistVW player of the month of December . Dunfermline Athletic FC . Twitter . 11 January 2019 . 3 February 2019.
25. Web site: Congratulations to #DAFC midfielder @joe_thomsonn who was voted as January's @SpecialistVW Player of the Month. Well done Joe . Dunfermline Athletic FC . Twitter . 14 February 2019 . 16 February 2019.
26. Web site: Congratulations to @Cragsy28 who was voted as the #DAFC @SpecialistVW Player of the Month for February. . Dunfermline Athletic FC . Twitter . 8 March 2019 . 8 March 2019.
27. Web site: Congratulations to #DAFC goalkeeper Ryan Scully who was voted as the @SpecialistVW Player of the Month for March . Dunfermline Athletic FC . Twitter . 4 April 2019 . 4 April 2019.
28. Web site: Longridge brothers sign . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 1 June 2018 . 1 June 2018.
29. Web site: Dunfermline sign brothers Louis and Jackson Longridge . Euan . Strathearn . STV News . STV . 1 June 2018 . 1 June 2018.
30. Web site: Devine signs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 6 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
31. Web site: Deals for Mark Durnan and Danny Devine confirmed by Dunfermline . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 6 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
32. Web site: Gaffer makes his mark . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 6 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
33. Web site: Thomson Signs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 15 June 2018 . 15 June 2018.
34. Web site: Pars sign Joe Thomson following Celtic departure . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 15 June 2018 . 16 June 2018.
35. Web site: Flood signs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 18 June 2018 . 18 June 2018.
36. Web site: Willo Flood joins Dunfermline Athletic after Dundee United exit . BBC Sport . 18 June 2018 . 18 June 2018.
37. Web site: Former Dundee United and York City player Aidan Connolly joins Dunfermline . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 20 June 2018 . 20 June 2018.
38. Web site: Sunderland midfielder Tom Beadling agrees pre-contract with Dunfermline . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 21 May 2018 . 21 May 2018.
39. Web site: Myles Hippolyte: Dunfermline Athletic sign forward from St Mirren . BBC Sport . 13 July 2018 . 13 July 2018.
40. Web site: DAFC sign Robbie Muirhead . Dunfermline Athletic . 31 August 2018 . 26 January 2019.
41. Web site: Dunfermline sign goalkeeper Ryan Scully from Morton . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 24 January 2019 . 26 January 2019.
42. Web site: Clark strikes United deal . Dundee United FC . 23 May 2018 . 23 May 2018.
43. Web site: M'voto departs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 6 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
44. Web site: Jean-Yves M'Voto leaves Dunfermline after contract expires . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 7 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
45. Web site: Ross County sign defenders Callum Morris & Keith Watson . BBC Sport . 21 June 2018 . 3 July 2018.
46. Web site: Morris departs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 2 June 2018 . 2 June 2018.
47. Web site: Nat Wedderburn . Raith Rovers FC . 3 July 2018 . 3 July 2018.
48. Web site: Wedderburn departs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 11 June 2018 . 16 June 2018.
49. Web site: Joe Cardle and Nat Wedderburn to leave Dunfermline . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 12 June 2018 . 12 June 2018.
50. Web site: Joe Cardle joins AFC Fylde after leaving Dunfermline . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 20 July 2018 . 20 July 2018.
51. Web site: Cardle departs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 11 June 2018 . 16 June 2018.
52. Web site: Premier Division: Derry City sign Aaron Splaine and Alistair Roy . BBC Sport . 6 July 2018 . 13 July 2018.
53. Web site: Paton and Splaine depart . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 18 May 2018 . 18 May 2018.
54. Web site: Jason joins Bollan's Blue Brazil . Cowdenbeath FC . 3 July 2018 . 3 July 2018.
55. Web site: Talbot departs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 1 June 2018 . 1 June 2018.
56. Web site: Left back Jason Talbot leaves Dunfermline . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 1 June 2018 . 1 June 2018.
57. Web site: Signing news: Michael Paton agrees deal . Andy . Galloway . Dumbarton FC . 13 July 2018 . 13 July 2018.
58. Web site: Duthie signs as the Warriors continue to strengthen . Margaret . Kilpatrick . Stenhousemuir FC . 8 June 2018 . 8 June 2018 .
59. Web site: Player update . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 14 May 2018 . 14 May 2018.
60. Web site: Bentleigh Greens beat Heidelberg United 2–0 to win third Community Shield in four years . Herald Sun . News Corp Australia . 9 February 2019 . 18 May 2019.
61. Web site: Dean Shiels: Midfielder to join dad Kenny at Derry City . BBC Sport . 3 June 2018 . 4 June 2018.
62. Web site: Shiels departs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 31 May 2018 . 1 June 2018.
63. Web site: Dunfermline Athletic midfielder Dean Shiels to leave club . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . 31 May 2018 . 1 June 2018.
64. Web site: Dundee United: Craig Curran and Fraser Aird join club's promotion push . BBC News . BBC . 1 June 2018 . 1 June 2018.
65. Web site: Brothers Jackson and Louis Longridge sign from Livingston and Falkirk but Aird leaves for Dundee United . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 1 June 2018 . 1 June 2018.
66. Web site: Declan McManus signs for Ross County after leaving Dunfermline . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 6 June 2018 . 7 June 2018.
67. Web site: Willo Flood leaves Dunfermline one week after joining . BBC Sport . 27 June 2018 . 30 June 2018.
68. Web site: James Vincent returns to Dunfermline on loan from Dundee . BBC Sport . 3 July 2018 . 3 July 2018.
69. Web site: Faissal El Bakhtaoui: Dunfermline sign striker on loan from Dundee . BBC Sport . 12 July 2018 . 12 July 2018.
70. Web site: Dunfermline sign Robbie Muirhead, Malaury Martin & Aidan Keena . BBC Sport . BBC . 31 August 2018 . 26 January 2019.
71. Web site: Dunfermline sign Bruce Anderson and Ryan Blair on loan . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 1 February 2019 . 2 February 2019.
72. Web site: Dunfermline striker Callum Smith joins Arbroath on loan . Ross . Hart . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 24 August 2018 . 3 January 2019.
73. Web site: Trio sign on . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 17 May 2018 . 17 May 2018.
74. Web site: 18 year old keeper returns . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 29 May 2018 . 3 June 2018.
75. Web site: Spook's season on the road . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 30 May 2018 . 3 June 2018.
76. Web site: Lewis Martin re-signs . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 2 June 2018 . 3 June 2018.
77. Web site: Higginbotham signs on . Dunfermline Athletic FC . 14 June 2018 . 16 June 2018.
78. Web site: Kallum Higginbotham signs new Dunfermline deal . Dunfermline Press . Newsquest . 14 June 2018 . 16 June 2018.