Play-off weekend shaping up as Edinburgh prepare for Dumbarton and Dunfermline are held by Queen's Park

The Edinburgh City manager was forced into an early substitution to replace his defender after 34 minutes but his side refused to be disrupted and went on to build a healthy lead to take west in their bid for promotion.

"I don’t think it’s as bad as he maybe feared,” he told City’s Youtube channel, before paying tribute to his players’ battling qualities. “He took a sore one on his knee and couldn’t play on but we’re confident it’s not too bad and he should be alright and it’s the same with Robbie [McIntyre].

“Robbie’s played on one leg just to get through and that's what I’ve spoken about – the effort to say ‘I need to do this and get through the game and do what it takes to get the result’ and credit to them for that.”

City head into Saturday’s second leg aiming to earn a place in League One just as Dunfermline are aiming to avoid one after last night’s Championship play-off semi-final.

The Pars faced Queen’s Park at Firhill with their second-tier status on the line and head back to East End Park on Saturday with the tie still very much in the balance.

Owen Coyle, the incoming Spiders manager, faced his former co-manager at Falkirk John Hughes in Glasgow and although the best chances of the night fell to two other former Bairns on opposing sides, the first leg finished goalless. Louis Longridge went close for the hosts early on and just after an hour Callum Ferrie denied Kevin O’Hara but neither could break the deadlock.

Simon Murray also had a late chance to give the Spiders the lead heading into the second leg but the experienced striker blazed a late set-piece over.

All four play-off semi-finals will now be concluded on Saturday with the two-legged finals to follow next week, while Partick Thistle and Inverness’ Premiership quarter-final second-leg takes place tomorrow night (Friday).