Alan Cochrane @ Rugby Park

A spirited Dunfermline performance, along with an off-day for Kilmarnock, combined to make this squally afternoon a gloomy one for the Killie support. And Dunfermline fully merited their victory.

Cardle, Buchanan, and especially Kerr gave the Kilmarnock central defence a torrid time of it, and either forced, or took advantage of, some poor cover in front of Cammy Bell. The fact that it took the visitors until nearly half time to open the scoring was down in part to some poor finishing, and to some good goalkeeping. While Killie had a couple of half chances, Barrowman, Buchanan and Cardle all had good chances which they let slip away, but Kilmarnock's luck couldn't hold. Sissoko missed a through ball, Buchanan was onto it in a flash, drew Kroca left, passed inside to the unmarked Barrowman, and he chipped it over the onrushing Bell.

Early in the second half, Shiels had a lob go over the bar, and Silva had a shot blocked, but between these two, Barrowman missed a simple chance when Buchanan cut a ball back to him from the by-line. Again, Killie's luck couldn't hold. Kroca tried to shepherd a long ball over the by-line, Buchanan stepped in and robbed him, cut it back, and Cardle scored easily.

With half an hour left, it looked as if Dunfermline were in almost complete control, and this was further shown when Fowler had to clear a Barrowman shot off the line, and Bell had to make a great diving save to deny Cardle. Three minutes from time Buchanan wrapped it up with a tap in, after Cardle carved his way in from the right.

As Kenny Shiels said at the end, sometimes you just have to put your hands up and admit the better team won. Listen to the gaffer at www.kicktalk.co.uk.

Kilmarnock: Bell, Hay (Dayton), Fowler, Kelly (Silva), Kroca, Heffernan, Gordon, Shiels, Harkins, Pascali, Sissoko

Dunfermline: Turner, Dowie, Rutkiewicz, Keddie, Boyle, Mason, Cardle, Kerr (Thomson), Barrowman (Kirk), Buchanan, Graham

Referee: Willie Collum