Dunfermline Athletic v Falkirk: 8,700 fans to attend significant League 1 title tussle

Around 9,000 fans will hunker down at East End Park on Tuesday night as fierce rivals Dunfermline Athletic host Falkirk in a League 1 title clash of huge significance.

It will be the highest league attendance at Dunfermline since 2013 when Rangers visited, and shows the incredible size of both clubs, currently marooned in the third tier.

BBC Scotland looks at what's at stake, why these clubs dislike each other so much, and the pressure to escape League 1.

Title race finely poised

Dunfermline sit top of League 1 right now, with a five-point cushion over Falkirk in second. James McPake's side have been incredibly tough to beat.

In fact, Montrose are the only side to defeat them all season in the league, and that was back in October.

A huge part of that has been their defence, which is the best in the division with just 16 goals conceded in 26 games. Centre-backs Kyle Benedictus and Rhys Breen have been excellent, and also added 10 goals at the other end.

John McGlynn's Falkirk have conceded 11 more goals, but their strength is going forward. No team has scored more times than their 56, and their firepower means they have a better goal difference than the Pars, albeit by a single goal.

Kyle Benedictus (left) has been an outstanding performer for Dunfermline this season

McGlynn has always looked to play an attacking brand of football, and they have four players who are on at least six league goals this season - including former Hearts forward Callumn Morrison, who has 12.

So with Dunfermline unbeaten in 14 league games and Falkirk nine without defeat (including eight wins), it's sure to be a compelling contest.

In the two meetings already this season the clubs were hard to separate. A 1-1 draw at East End Park in September was followed by a narrow 1-0 Dunfermline win in November.

That sparked wild scenes in a packed away end at the Falkirk Stadium. It's a sign of what's to come and why Tuesday's match matters so much.

With only 10 games left and one meeting of the sides still to come, it's getting tense.

A fierce rivalry

That brings us to the animosity between these sides. Despite being only 18 miles apart, it's not a derby match born of local rivalry in the traditional sense.

Falkirk have Stenhousemuir and East Stirlingshire closer, while Dunfermline's main rivalry is with fellow Fife club Raith Rovers.

However, familiarity has bred contempt over the past 30 years, with the two clubs often occupying the same division while vying for promotion.

There have been some unsavoury flashpoints too, including Falkirk fans throwing fake eyeballs at then Dunfermline player Dean Shiels during a match between the sides in 2018, mocking the fact he had had an eye removed.

Falkirk players Joe McKee and Kevin O'Hara were banned for taunting Shiels in the same game, too.

The added spice of the title race and the fact Falkirk boss McGlynn has had two spells as manager of Dunfermline's other rivals Raith Rovers, makes it even more compelling.

The ferocity of the 'Kincardine Bridge derby' is well established.

And it's why nearly 9,000 fans will watch Tuesday's match - an attendance many Premiership clubs would struggle to reach.

Desperate to escape

If all that wasn't enough, then there is the huge pressure for these clubs to escape League 1.

Falkirk, who are in their fourth season in the third tier, recently posted a staggering loss of £1.2m - the worst in the club's history.

Fans are being asked to raise more money to help the club plug a funding gap of around £400,000 in the coming seasons, which they say is necessary if they want to achieve their goal of reaching the Premiership, or even maintaining the current budget.

Simply put, they cannot afford to stay in League 1 for much longer without slashing costs.

Dunfermline, who were only relegated from the Championship last season, are not currently feeling quite the same financial heat. But the reduced revenues in League 1 take their toll each season big clubs stay there.

A raucous atmosphere, mounting pressure, and a potential title on the line. This derby match has it all.