Ayr United 0
Dunfermline Athletic 1
League (Championship)

Match Report

Substitute Louis Longridge scored a penalty immediately as Dunfermline secured victory at Ayr United.

The spot-kick came after a handball by Michael Rose, who only arrived 20 minutes before kick-off due to traffic.

Michael Moffat's bullet header went narrowly wide as the hosts hunted an equaliser.

Ayr stay second but have fallen further behind championship leaders Ross County with the gap opening to five points.

Dunfermline move up to sixth after recording their second win in a row under manager Stevie Crawford.

It's only Longridge's second appearance in 2019 after groin and knee injuries, but what a contribution from the bench as he continues his return to full match sharpness.

'I don't think either team deserved to win' - reaction
Ayr United manager Ian McCall said: "I don't think either team deserved to win. The first half-hour we played well, but second half we were terrible, awful, and there wasn't enough urgency in our play. We're very disappointed.

"Lawrence Shankland is still getting up to speed again and were we too reliant on him? I don't know. It's a sore one to take at home but we have no divine right to win."

Dunfermline Athletic manager Stevie Crawford said: "They were causing us a lot of bother in the wide areas, to the extent we changed our shape and went with a flatter midfield four.

"It wasn't one of our best performances but there's been signs of togetherness with two clean sheets to give us confidence.

"Louis's got good energy and good awareness and I'm delighted he's got his goal because it's been a frustrating few months for him."

Match report written by BBC