Dunfermline Athletic 3 Livingston 2

Last updated : 22 April 2006 By Footymad Previewer
Noel Hunt scored a late winner for Dunfermline that ensures their SPL safety. He forced the ball home at the far post with just seven minutes left after Mark Burchill had headed the ball across goal.

Burchill contributed to Dunfermline's two other goals to consign Livingston to relegation with only mathematics sparing them at this stage.

The game kicked off 12 minutes late after Livingston's team bus was caught up in traffic crossing the Forth Road Bridge.

Noel Whelan thundered a speculative long-range effort over before Allan Walker was too high with a header from 15 yards with Dunfermline looking vulnerable at crosses.

Greg Ross handed them the initiative after nine minutes when he needlessly pulled Wes Hoolahan back in the area and referee Stuart Dougal had not doubt it was a penalty.

Skipper Richard Brittain kept his nerve to send Allan McGregor the wrong way with a well-placed spot-kick.

Hunt came close for Dunfermline after half-an-hour when he took a loose ball in his stride to rifle in a terrific shot which just cleared the far post.

Scott Muirhead then had the home side's first shot on target but, from fully 30 yards, it never seriously troubled Roddy McKenzie.

But Dunfermline equalised from the penalty spot seven minutes from the break when Burchill got in behind the Livi defence and was brought down by McKenzie.

Burchill steered home the penalty with his left foot to give the Pars the pick-me-up they needed.

But Livi were back in front after 63 minutes when Colin Healy gathered a short throw-in from Hoolahan before drilling an unstoppable 20-yard shot past McGregor.

Dunfermline hit back and Burchill equalised in 78 minutes after McKenzie had saved from Bartosz Tarachulski. Then came Hunt's dramatic late winner.