AndyDD

Cammy B moving to right back will hopefully mean he does a job on Connor Smith, who looks their real danger. They certainly seemed much less dangerous down the other side, so Cammy going over ought not to be a disaster. I'd be for the least disruption possible, myself, so would just put Euan D to left back. There's no perfect solution, no option that doesn't have cons, because we now cant play our first choice back four, but hey ho. Minimal disruption to a defence that has been doing well, Cammy Ballantyne on the right up against their key danger man and Euan D is capable of good games, he's done a job there in many games this season. Not ideal as he hasn't played much of late, but like I said, there is no ideal solution. 2 wins out of 2 in Hamilton this season, so hopefully we keep that going. Get out and at them early. Get a goal and that could do it. By my count, we're now on 98 goals over the league, cups and playoffs. Sensational. Would be amazing to get to the hunner

Few teams do playoff heartbreak like Airdrie, if we're having a wee competition here. Lost the final six times and semi finals twice in 17 years, I believe was the tally wee totted up in our thread the other day. 9th time's the charm?

Hahaha aye definitely, and likewise, if they thought 'well we produced an insane comeback in the semi last time so we can give away any lead we like and be fine' or 'we dicked Alloa about twice at home so we will definitely skoosh them no bother if we play them' I'd be ragin anawl! You want them believing in their ability and their game-plan, you want them confident, but you don't want them complacent. And aye, so long as they have their minds right, we can sit in the stand feeling the entire smorgasbord of emotions as we go through the existential terror that is Airdrie in the playoffs.

Haha, we can all be prone to being incredibly fickle as football supporters, it's part and parcel to be fair. See it at all levels and I've been guilty of it myself. We all have. Sometimes online it's tongue in cheek and self-aware. Other times... Not so much.

Aye, that sounds like facebook. Can get a bit silly. Twitter too. Certainly haven't seen any of that kind of patter on here, though. Ultimately, suppose us supporters can be as cocksure or doom-mongering as we like; it won't matter. The mindset of the players and staff will be what matters. I don't think they'll walk into these games thinking they'll be a gimmie. I also don't think they'll walk into them thinking 'well Airdrie have a shite playoff record dating back to 1997 so we're definitely on to plums again here'.

I'm certainly not seeing anyone displaying any uber confidence in any of their posts here, though? If anyone has said we will definitely dispatch any potential opponent with considerable comfort, I must have missed those posts.

Cove will be in a totally different mental place than they were for the run-in last season, granted, but those players that having been toiling this year in the division above were more than solid enough to keep us and everyone else at bay last year, so I wouldn't count them out entirely. Fyvie the big loss as we've discussed before, he was the difference maker in the two visits to our place last season, plus the confidence levels and mentality will be entirely different, but the solidity that kept Dundee from scoring could well be enough to keep out any of ourselves, Alloa or Falkirk. Far from inconceivable that Cove could survive a playoff purely on the basis of reproducing the sort of robustness that has saw them concede only 3 in their last 4 games. Winning in Arbroath and getting a shut out at Dens in very high profile games is no bad going. Those last two games have even given you an arithmetic chance of avoiding the playoffs entirely, as you say. If I was betting on it, I'd have both Hamilton and Cove to lose on Friday, but your division is so bonkers this year that I've given up trying to make any presumptions about what will happen. The prospect of relegating Cove in a showdown would give me a strong Kevin Keegan feeling, I can't lie, but despite how close the playoffs now are, it's still too early to know their exact make-up.

Don't get me wrong, we're just as capable of losing to falkirk as we are of beating them, the league games show that. A win each and two draws. Alloa, we fared better against, and looked miles better than them at home, but it would not be some stunning upset for them to beat us either. All three sides will look at it as a very decent chance, at least, of going up. The team in the division above, harder to gauge. We'll need our best players to be available, we'll need the front three to click, but we've definitely got it in us. I don't buy into history and patterns when it comes to football at all, personally; we're pattern seeking animals and ignore cases when the pattern isn't replicated. This side failed to get through the playoffs last year, but all the previous playoff failures have nothing to do with them (okay, I'll grant you Gal and Dycey who were with us for the Morton defeat, too). I'm actually of the mind that last season will prove helpful, rather than harmful, but that's possibly the wish being the father of the thought. Either way, it's highly unlikely to be dull.

No injuries incurred, rest for some key players, and a chance to knock off some rust on players who we might end up needing to call upon in the playoff campaign. So long as we can say the same on Saturday evening, fine and dandy. Go into our first game a week today with a full squad, we've more than a fighting chance to pull it off. We know that, if we hit form, we can get the better of Alloa and Falkirk. I reckon we have it within us to overcome whomever finishes 2nd bottom in the division above, too. All three will likely feel similarly, and that's fair, which is why I'm really not fussed about finishing 3rd or 4th. Roll on next Tuesday.

Alloa Athletic 0-2 Dunfermline Athletic Clyde 0-2 Montrose FC Edinburgh 0-2 Airdrieonians Peterhead 0-3 Falkirk Queen of the South 2-0 Kelty Hearts

Is missing two games really enough for rustiness to set in? Maybe. I'm not convinced. Either way I suspect we will be pretty strong on Saturday as mentioned earlier, but I completely agree with your second point, I'm not at all averse to finishing 4th and having first go at Hamilton/Cove. Not actively wanting it, you instinctively want to finish as best you can, but I'd not be concerned at all. Dunfermline are a comfortably better side than anyone we can face in the playoffs, so with our best players fit and available, we shouldn't fear any of them regardless of the home/away permutations.

I think you're right and we will go mostly strong against Queens, aiming to finish at home with a win, but I personally would much rather we rested Frizz, Gal, Smithy, Ballantyne at the very least. No need to tip Sincy and Gabby in either, make sure they are fully recovered from the knocks that kept them out on Saturday.

Aye, Jerome Vareille was a hero to me when I was a younger supporter, too. Classy. Back when I had to force my Dad to take me, he'd spend the game complimenting Jerome. Great to see him on Saturday. Not sure they will, but I'd be for putting the feet up and resting as many key players as possible for the playoffs over these two games. Give them a chance to reset so we can go into the playoffs fresh. I imagine we might still go quite strong for next week, or at least stronger than the last day.

A very weird game. Could have been 2-2 or 3-3 at halftime, despite Dunfermline being much the better side. That Ritchie-Hosler was excellent, a very good prospect. Airdrie had then been the better side in the second half and crucially bounced back really quickly following an excellent finish from Wighton (after an uncharacteristic failed clearance from Fordyce). The diving header attempt from Stanway seemed to open space up somehow and Gallagher is too clever and reacts too quickly for his marker. Dunfermline seemed surprisingly vulnerable from corners all game, but that was the only time we capitalised. Think we missed Gabby McGill especially in the first half, and lost composure a wee bit with our attempts once it became a training exercise following the red cards, but we got the point we wanted as a minimum so, job done. Was impossible to see exactly what had gone on in the away stand, but it was still pretty funny watching folk completely ignore the game, and watching them argue amongst themselves and shout at each other. Also enjoyed the guy in a baseball cap who genuinely threw it to the ground in apoplexy at the second red, like in a skit. Chap nearly combusted and appeared to be offering fellow Dunfermline supporters out for a robust chat in the aftermath. Wonder if he managed to his hat back after his frothing had subsided.

Airdrieonians 2-0 Queen of the South Dunfermline Atheltic 3-0 Clyde Kelty Hearts 0-0 Peterhead Montrose 1-1 Alloa Athletic

Aye seen that. Hopefully it's nothing more serious than that. Wouldn't want to be without him come the playoffs. Rhys replacing him from the start, do we think?

Dunfermline comfortable and deserved champions, as Rhys McCabe acknowledged last weekend after the falkirk game, but as he and everyone else has also pointed out, there hasn't been much between the teams in the three matches so far. All three have been very decent games of football, so hopefully that continues tomorrow. I said at the time that I didn't think anyone else in the league could put them to the sword as effectively as we did in their last visit but also that I didn't think any other side in the division would have that comeback in them. We beat ourselves to a degree, but Dunfermline deserved huge credit for the way they took full advantage. Any doubts about them winning the league were banished for me that day. That's a title winning match, and you could tell they knew it. Dramatic as it and the subsequent late red/penalty save at east end park were, I could do with a more straightforward affair tomorrow. Don't expect Dunfermline to have chucked it, but if we play to our capacity then we've a win in us, whether they are 100% committed or not. Obviously they should be giving fringe players a chance now, and thinking about their well earned off-season holidays, shouldn't they? Only right and proper. Indeed, only fair and sporting to give them early access to the club bar so as to toast their title. ATS will be a miss for us but hopefully he's back for the playoffs. I know we've not clinched it yet, but even so, let's avoid any other injuries to key players. We need our best available and match-fit if we're going to follow the Pars up a league.

Interesting topic with some decent looking picks thus far. Suppose you could just go Dunfermline defence (conceded 19) and Airdrie attack (scored 76), but that's maybe a tad simplistic.

Showing as sold out now on the SFA site Er, well, it was. Not any more.

Some spot, thanking you.

Got mine no problem at all, easy days. Cannae wait. Win this and we can start booking Germany out for the entire tourney

I think @Mr November and @ShineOnYouCrazyDiamonds have nailed the clear winners in each category, but honourable mentions to Frizz for player of the year, a guy who looks a level or two above when at his best and adds a real doggedness to his clear ability. Earlier this season I'd have been giving my vote to Euan D for young player, but Gabby has pipped him for me given the last month or so. Still feel Euan has come on greatly this season. You'd not think Josh was as young as he is, either, given he plays like a very experienced goalie. A great what if this year, if he'd been fit for a entire season. Some really good goals didn't even make the final 10, and it feels almost blasphemous not to go with either of the team goals, but that Gal goal versus Kelty is just silly. 20 league goals for the season and hopefully he's far from finished. Whip round for a new contract, anyone?

Definitely didn't get the fast, erratic start to the game I'd predicted, anyway! Much cagier than I think anyone expected in the opening exchanges. First half played at a very surprisingly slow tempo and Falkirk deserved their half-time lead; we just seemed that bit slower to get going than usual and never really did for the whole half. In saying that, a poor breakaway goal to lose even accounting for being off it in the first 45. Looked much more like ourselves second half and really ought to have built on our lead before losing the sloppy equaliser. Good to keep the unbeaten run going, both in the league itself and in our visits to falkirk stadium. Looks like we'll be heading back in the playoffs at some point so, be really nice if we can keep that record intact (providing we do the business at our bit). Delighted for Gal to get to 20 league goals. He was due to score, let's face it.

Airdrieonians 2-1 Dunfermline Athletic Alloa Athletic 1-1 Falkirk FC Edinburgh 0-0 Kelty Hearts Peterhead 0-1 Clyde Queen of the South 0-0 Montrose

19 for me, so even more of a squeeze! My partner's on 15 so, she's going to struggle, but we've had that issue before and managed to get home end ticket so, awk I'm sure it'll be fine. If not, well, that'll be a her problem. Looking forward to it as well, should be some trip.