Bookies reckon history points to a draw

Mar 28 2008

IT was just before the Great War that St Johnstone first played Dunfermline in the old Scottish Second Division and in the ensuing 96 years, league meetings between the pair have produced 26 draws.

Nothing incredibly significant about that you might think, except that exactly half of those league draws have come since 1995.

At McDiarmid Park tomorrow, the sides will meet for the fifth time this season; thus far, half of those duels have produced draws.

Armed with this information, punters may feel that the 11/4 posted by online firm Betdaq against the stalemate is worthy of further consideration and a third scoreless encounter of the season, priced at 10/1 by VCBet, should not be discounted.

Betfred have installed the Saints as their 8/11 favourites to secure three points, with the visitors quoted at a surprisingly lengthy 3/1 by internet bookie Canbet.com.

Yet recent encounters suggest it could be much closer; the League Cup final apart, this fixture has not produced many goals recently and punters anticipating that trend to continue tomorrow can get 3/4 at Sportingbet against it yielding fewer than three. Given that four of Dunfermline’s last five matches and two of St Johnstone’s last three have each produced fewer than three goals, this looks a decent bet.. Punters who concur may also fancy the 15/8 chalked by bet365 against the opening period finishing scoreless, or perhaps Betdirect’s 5/1 for both halves to end level. Partybets post 13/10 against an opening half stalemate.

However, St Johnstone currently boast the best second half record in the First Division, a stat which adds appeal to the 7/2 posted by Coral in favour of the home side securing maximum points following a drawn opening half. Not surprisingly, there has been plenty of support for Blue Square’s 6/1 marked against a 1-1 outcome, but Betdirect’s 6/1 for St Johnstone to win 1-0 should not be ignored.

For the record, Dunfermline won that inaugural 1912 encounter 2-1; a repeat is considered a 14/1 shot according to Partybets.

Odds supplied by www.betrescue.com