Alloa Athletic returned to East End Park for the second time in September. Following the Pars Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Cup exit to Peter Grant’s team, revenge was sought in the form of three precious league points.

Stevie Crawford made two changes to his winning team both enforced through injury. Unavailable were Paul Paton and Gabby McGill so into the starting eleven came Harry Cochrane and Lewis McCann.

Alloa Athletic left out two former Pars strikers, Robert Thomson and Liam Buchanan to make way for Jon Robertson and Alan Trouten. In a late change to their line up Adam Brown cane in for Liam Dick. The visitors were in search of their second league win but so were the Pars who sat one point above them in the Championship table.

The visitors kicked off and really should have been behind after just 40 seconds. Lewis McCann did really well in chasing the ball to the right byeline where he neatly beat off the attentions of Robertson to cut the ball back for Kevin Nisbet. The striker looked a certainty to score but sent his effort wide left from ten yards out.

From a through ball from Aaron Comrie, Nisbet got in on the right side and his cross into the six yard box was sent behind off Robbie Deas. The resultant corner was overhit but McCann collected and drove on but his good strike was again blocked by Deas.

At the other end Alloa’s Brown threatened but Lewis Martin made a great block on an effort set up by Trouten. Then in 15th minute after Deas tripped Nisbet, a free kick 18 yards out on the right side was flighted in by Josh Edwards and when defended out to Kyle Turner he took a touch to be a bow to drive a right footed effort from the edge of the Alloa box that Greg Kiltie edged on its way through only for Jamie Macdonald to hold.

Three minutes Nisbet delivered a pass from the left that Turner met for fired high over the crossbar. Then Kiltie made a run through the middle but just didn’t get the chance to shoot and instead he laced the ball back for Nisbet only for Deas to block another netbound shot.

A steady build up involving several exchanges between Flannigan and Cawley earned Alloa a 26th minute corner on the right off Edwards but Steven Hetherington’s cross only ended up with the visitors being penalised for pushing.

A couple of strong runs from Ryan Dow injected some fight and urgency into the Pars attack but Alloa defended well and no shots came from them. Cammy Gill was the keeper who had to hold an albeit tame on target header from Trouten before Dow was then caught offside as Lee Ashcroft launched a high ball forward.

Ten minutes from the break, Cawley worryingly waltzed through the centre of the park and set up Kevin O’Hara for a shot from an acute angle that was not on target. After Edwards was fouled by Cawley, Turner swept a 39th minute free kick into the arms of Macdonald.

It remain all square at half time, the Pars has executed seven shots to Alloa’s four but would the Fifers rue that early miss?

Half time: Dunfermline 0 Alloa Athletic 0

McCann made an early surging run through the centre but when he released the ball to Kiltie again not shot resulted and Turner when he did, drove the ball at the defender.

In the fifth minute of the second half Alloa number 14, BROWN showed just how to do it. He dispatched a cracking shot high into the net from 30 yards out that gave Gill absolutely no hoe of stopping it. 0-1

Nisbet and Edwards then had opportunities for Dunfermline but Macdonald came out on top both times. Dow sent a cross behind and the Pars were badly needing a lift when TURNER struck with a shot from the edge of the box that sailed into the left side of the Wasps net. Nisbet was the provider and the close season signings from Stranraer finished in style. 1-1

Flannigan was yellow carded for his challenge on Nisbet and the striker assumed responsibility for the free kick but from 35 yards out he launched his shot over the Alloa crossbar. A move from Cochrane through Kiltie to McCann won a 67th minute corner on the left. That was not totally cleared and it ended up with another Turner opportunity that again Alloa blocked.

Four minutes later Robertson tumbled Cochrane allowing Edwards to launch another free kick into the Alloa box but Macdonald came out to fist away the danger. Tom Beadling was introduced in place of Lewis McCann with quarter of an hour remaining meaning Turner was pushed into a role wider left.

Deas saw yellow when halting Kiltie but Turner’s free kick was cleared. Josh Coley came on for Ryan Down in 79 minutes and the sub quickly provided a cross that Deas stole away from Nisbet on the line and from the corner Nisbet headed on to the crossbar.

Pressure was piled on the Alloa goal but their powers of survival remained impressive. They survived a penalty claim when Kiltie was downed in the box and the keeper held a Beadling header. Amidst it all Gill had to bravely punch clear from a Cawley free kick.

There were several more balls into the Alloa box, mainly from Coley, but even after the three added minutes there was to be no further goals. One point apiece and that meant the Pars remained in seventh place.

DUNFERMLINE: Cammy Gill: Aaron Comrie, Lee Ashcroft (c), Lewis Martin, Josh Edwards: Ryan Dow (Josh Coley 79), Harry Cochrane, Kyle Turner, Greg Kiltie, Lewis McCann (Tom Beadling 75), Kevin Nisbet.
SUBS NOT USED: Danny Devine, Stuart Morrison, Matty Todd, Ryan Scully (GK)
SCORERS: Turner (57)
YELLOW CARD: Turner (72), Cochrane (78)

ALLOA ATHLETIC: Jamie MacDonald: Scott Taggart, Robbie Deas, Andy Graham (c), Jon Robertson: Kevin Cawley, Steven Hetherington, Iain Flannigan, Adam Brown: Kevin O’Hara (Liam Buchanan 86), Alan Trouten
SUBS NOT USED: Robert Thomson, Nathan Gilhooley, Cammy O’Donnell, Paul Gillespie, Chris Henry (GK).
SCORERS: Brown (50)
YELLOW CARD: Flannigan (60), Deas (77)

REFEREE: Colin Steven
WEATHER: Sunny 14C
ATTENDANCE 3496

NEXT MATCH: Ladbrokes Championship: (away) v Morton, Saturday 5th October 2019, 3.00pm kick off at Cappielow