Dunfermline 1 Morton 1

cinch Championship: Matty Todd and Dom Thomas start as Aaron Comrie and Ryan Dow drop to the bench. Iain Wilson (42) 0-1: Lewis McCann (88) 1-1:

The home side created loads of opportunities and dominated for most of the match but could only score the one goal. After allowing Morton to take a first half lead Dunfermline took until two minutes from full time to grab back an equaliser.

Dunfermline returned to East End Park for just their second home match since 22nd January. There were great hopes that the Fifers could make the best of home advantage backed by a crowd boosted as a result of admission prices slashed to just £5 for this Friday night encounter under the lights.

Manager John Hughes made two changes from his starting eleven against Hamilton the previous Saturday, Aaron Comrie and Ryan Dow dropped to the bench as Matty Todd stepped up and Dom Thomas started his first match since November. Still no Graham Dorrans so Steven Lawless wore the armband.

Morton boss Dougie Imrie also made two changes to the side that started in their home win over Partick Thistle - Kyle Jacobs and Reece Lyon were placed on the bench as Cameron Blues and Gary Oliver returned.

There was a lively start from the visitors peppering the Pars defence with early shots that thankfully were effectively kept out. Dunfermline began to show signs of a threat of danger with strong runs by Kevin O’Hara and Thomas and serious crosses from Todd and Lawless.

The Pars tried to take a quick 13th minute free kick midway inside the ‘Ton half but we’re pulled back and when Thomas delivered former team mate Iain Wilson headed clear. Morton had the opportunity from a similarly placed free kick three minutes later and when Lewis Strapp sent that deep into the Pars box the ball was headed narrowly wide of the left upright.

A Lawless cross midway through the half was headed over the crossbar by O’Hara and next an Edwards cross was punched away by keeper Jack Hamilton to steal the ball off O’Hara’s head. Dunfermline’s first corner of the match in 28th minute came from a deflected Lawless shot and corners followed both right and left but the defence was not to be breached.

Ten minutes from the interval a ball flighted in by Thomas towards the far side of the six yard box presented O’Hara with a good chance but he failed to make contact. Two minutes later a sweet move across field from Lawless through Polworth to Thomas was laid off for Edwards to shoot but Hamilton dropped to the deck to hold.

A Polworth shot in 40 minutes earned another corner on the right but when Thomas delivered the ball escaped through the six yard box untouched. There had been a sustained period of Pars pressure deep into the Morton half but three minutes from the break WILSON chose to score his first Morton goal. The 23 year old was able to make ground all to easily through the middle and stick the past Jakub Stolarczyk from the edge of the box. 0-1

70% possession for the home side in the first half but Morton with the all important goal.

Half time: Dunfermline 0 Morton 1

Joe Chalmers flashed a 30 yard shot narrowly wide right in the seventh minute of the second half and then two minutes later Thomas centred from the left and O’Hara would complain profusely that he was pushed off the ball as he challenged at the near post.

Polworth blasted a shot high and wide but Dunfermline continued to press. A corner from either side changed nothing as did another in 69 minutes. Then there was a free kick on the left just eight yards out but Polworth’s delivery was blocked by the two man wall and then Donaldson went down in the Morton box as he challenged for the ball.

There was a big cheer as O’Hara netted a Polworth ball in from the right, quickly subdued by the offside flag. Lewis McCann replaced Matty Todd in 82 minutes as John Hughes threw everything into getting a goal back. Some Thomas magic almost did the trick as he worked his way in from the left but his low effort was deflected wide right.

Donaldson had a couple of near things as Dunfermline piled on the pressure and after keeper Hamilton had saved the defender’s shot, they got their long awaited goal from the corner. Lewis McCANN met a Thomas corner in from the right with a glancing header and the Fifers had an 88th minute equaliser. 1-1

The Pars were urged on for every second of the four minutes of added time. O’Hara had a header kept out by the goalpost and that really summed up the team’s lack of luck.

Two points out of the 12 possible in the four matches this season against Greenock Morton. This draw puts Dunfermline level on points with ninth placed Queen of the South but not enough to lift them off the foot of the division.

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