Partick Thistle 2 Dunfermline 3

Pars behind to a Buchanan goal after only 9, Bell heads in equaliser 4 mins later. Kirk 2-1 after 30. Doolan 2-2 in 34. Loy penalty in 89 wins it for Macca`s men.

Kevin Harper was listed on the teamsheet but after the warm up, Alex Burke replaced him on the bench.  Rory Loy and Alex Burke dropped out of the starting eleven and Graham Bayne was suspended.  In came Graham Holmes for his first start, Greg Ross and Andy Kirk.

Scott Chaplain came in for Simon Donnelly, the only change in Ian McCall`s team. Thistle kicked off attacking the goal in front of the 400 or so travelling support. Scott Thomson was deployed in front of the back four where Greg Ross took over at right back.

It was a cautious start from both teams with keepers Gallacher and Tuffey only requiring to cut out crosses from Harkins and Graham respectively before Marc Twaddle made a chance for himself to whistle a shot narrowly over the crossbar in eight minutes. Next minute Gallacher could not prevent a corner on the right when Buchanan`s cross came off Scott Wilson and disaster struck as Thistle scored from it.

Twaddle headed Paul Paton`s ball to the left but Alan Archibald returned it into the goalmouth where BUCHANAN stuck it away. The hosts lead lasted all of four minutes before the Fifers hit back with a well worked goal.  Slick passes on the left from Phinn to Kirk and back to Phinn set up the cross for Steven BELL to head home at the far post.

The 13th minute equaliser was nearly followed by another Pars goal as Bell`s header from a corner on the right was headed right of the goal for Shields to head back in but Tuffey saved the day.

The match was devoid of goalmouth action for the next ten minutes with only David Rowson`s wayward shot in 19 minutes going anywhere near the keepers. The Jags missed out in 27 minutes when Buchanan`s pass into the box was turned by Chaplain but the outstretched leg of Greg Shields came to the rescue.

Then on the half hour Ross crossed from the right but had too much on it. Holmes gathered on the left, beat his man and picked out Andy KIRK on the edge of the six yard box to head the ball down and past Tuffey at his right hand. Yet again the lead could not be preserved as the Jags scored four minutes later.  Kris DOOLAN found himself with space to shoot at an angle eight yards out and the ball crossed the line as it came back off the right upright.

A fine piece of determined defending from Shields kept Buchanan out just before the break but with four goals in the first 45 minutes nobody could complain about the action but at half time Jim McIntyre would have plenty words for his defence.

Half Time: Partick Thistle 2 Dunfermline 2

For the restart Partick used their second sub of the match with Ian Maxwell coming on for the injured Marc Twaddle and the home fans were crying for a penalty when Buchanan and Shields tumbled in the box in 47 minutes. Wilie Collum was having none of it but did award Thistle an early free kick but Harkins could not test Gallacher from 28 yards out.

In 52 minutes Shields turned a Buchanan cross behind for a corner on the right but when that was defended out as far as the unmarked Archibald on the edge of the box, the ball was hooked well over the top. Harkins thumped an opportunity wide left four minutes later before Rory Loy was brought on to replace Greg Ross.

In 62 minutes a neatly played pass by Holmes into the centre of the Thistle box came back out to Steven Bell and he laid it off to his right for Loy to hit a fierce shot that beat the keeper but ran out on the wrong side of the left post. Dunfermline continued to press but were almost caught out on the counterattack with Chaplain`s snapshot from 20 yards going narrowly wide right.

Scott Muirhead replaced David Graham and immediately had a chance that he drove into the sidenetting. The sub was unlucky with a Holmes lay off after Loy had taken advantage of a slip up by Ian Maxwell but he failed to get in a shot.

Play switched to the other end with Harkins forcing his way down the left, brushing off Bell and beating Shields but McKinlay could not control the heavily struck final pass.

Loy had a glorious chance in 77 minutes after dispossessing Willie Kinniburgh but he dwelt too long on his chance allowing Paton to come across and crowd him out. Two minutes later a great ball into the Thistle box put Kirk in on the right hand side, he chose to shoot blasting the ball wide of the far post despite Phinn being well placed to sink a square pass.

Five minutes from time Jamie Mole broke away as an opposition corner failed to find a red and yellow shirt. It was four against three outfielders as Bell, Kirk and Loy were his options. He chose Kirk on the right and this time he cut back for Loy but Thistle blotted him out and denied Bell the follow up.

In 88 minutes it was four against two as Mole again threatened from the left. His cross was stepped over by Loy and was dropping nicely for Bell in front of goal when Maxwell took the legs from him.  A red card for the Thistle sub and penalty for the Pars.

Rory Loy had to wait an eternity for Maxwell to reach the touchline and when he hit the 89th minute spot kick he aimed left but Tuffey had chosen corrrectly and he stopped it.  LOY wallopped the rebound into the net thankfully and the travelling support behind the goal who were already all on their feet, rejoiced.

Another fine away win for the Pars, one that took them back into second place equal on points with Thistle but +7 to the Firhill side`s +1.  St Johnstone kept up their challenge with a 1-0 win over third placed Livingston to maintain a seven point lead but this result keeps Dunfermline right up there in the mix for the title.