Good news for Dunfermline was that captain Jordan McMillan had recovered from the knee injury that forced him to miss the last 45 minutes of the previous Saturday's match against Dumbarton. Shaun Byrne was in Cyprus with the under 20s and Josh Falkingham was serving a one match ban, so into midfield came Stephen Husband and Ryan Thomson.

For Airdrie, Jamie Bain, Liam Watt and John Boyle returned. Grant Evans was suspended. Kenny Arthur (hamstring), David Lilley (groin), Gavin Griffin (ankle/calf), Sean Lynch (calf/ankle), Alan Cook (ankle) and Jack Boyle (knee) were all missing through injury. Gregor Buchanan had recovered from an ankle problem and Jamie Barclay and Paul Di Giacomo fit again after illness.

The teams changed ends before Airdrie, in all blue, kicked off through Boyle and Donnelly and Paul Gallacher got his first touch within seven seconds. Dunfermline soon got their game together with McMillan threatening with a good run down the right in the opening minutes. Barrowman and Thomson then chested down through balls but could not take the opportunity.

Ryan Wallace had a shot held before in fourth minute nightmare defending in front of the Pars goal let the visitors in for the opener. DONNELLY and Boyle exchanged passes before the former stuck the ball home from just eight yards. 0-1

Any neutral at the match, not knowing the script would have been very confused as the Airdrie goal heralded every Dunfermline fan getting on their feet to applaud. That was as a fourth minute tribute to late Pars captain, Norrie McCathie who died in tragic circumstances seventeen years ago this week.

Then just nine minutes later the home fans did get a home goal at the McCathie Stand end. Alex Whittle made ground down the left and his ball to the near post was turned in by WALLACE. 1-1 Then, very soon after the equaliser, Callum Morris was desperately unlucky to see his header kept out by keeper Grant Adams.

The Pars looked comfortably in control but at the midway stage of the first half Donnelly was on the end of a good cross but he sent his shot from 20 yards narrowly over the crossbar. Boyle got a shot in three minutes later assisted by an Andy Dowie slip but he was wildly off target. Whittle won a 28th minute corner after tremendous close control in the left side of the Airdrie box but unfortunately his corner kick was not so clever.

McMillan was forward but Adams came out to thwart the chance. Barrowman chipped the keeper from the right byeline but the ball dropped wrongly for Whittle. There were times when you could have heard a pin drop and the next applause was in appreciation for Barrowman who having failed to run off an earlier knock, had to be subbed by Andy Kirk in 37 minutes.

Stephen Husband got hold of a low drive from 28 yards and Grant Adams turned the good effort around his left hand post. At the other end Boyle was through on Gallacher but tripped himself up with no one near him so the chance evapourated. Tough luck for Airdrie but as the teams went in at the interval you had to feel that perhaps the Pars should have hit the net more than once.

Half Time: Dunfermline 1 Airdrie United 1

The second half started with misses at both ends with Wallace the Fifers culprit when through one on one but after rounding the keeper, he pulled his shot wide left. Paul Gallacher was called into serious action in 55 minutes when Willie McLaren got an opportunity to shoot but the keeper did well to turn the ball behind.

The match was quiet and the efforts all seemed fairly fruitless and flat and it was the visitors who made the breakthrough in 59 minutes. DONNELLY ran on to an inviting ball on the left side and smashed the ball past Gallacher. 1-2

Then in 65 minutes there was what seemed a good appeal for a penalty when McMillan was taken down by Marc Warren on the right side of the penalty box but no decision was given. Referee Euan Norris certainly would have had warm ears.

Adams cut out a Thomson cross but at the other end Donnelly hit a good chance wide left. Then in 74 minutes Liam Watt's cross was missed by Donnelly at the near post and Gallacher was happy to grasp the ball. Joe Cardle came on for Andy Geggan and he had a strong run down the left before in 77 minutes his shot from 20 yards was tipped behind by Adams.

The corner was only partially dealt with, Husband's driven shot was blocked and then Whittle's cross from the right was headed down by Kirk at the near post but outside the right goalpost. Euan Norris became even more unpopular when awarding a penalty for Morris' tackle on Jamie Bain on the right edge of the box. The incident looked outside the penalty box but Paul Di GIACOMO grabbed the chance and hit the spot kick to Gallacher's right and it was 1-3 with just seven minutes remaining.

This was not a great performance from Dunferm;ine, Airdrie took their chances, three goals and three points.

DUNFERMLINE: Paul Gallacher; Jordan McMillan (c), Andy Dowie, Callum Morris, Stephen Jordan, Andy Geggan (Joe Cardle 63), Stephen Husband, Ryan Thomson, Alex Whittle (Craig Dargo 78), Andy Barrowman (Andy Kirk 37), Ryan Wallace.
SUBS NOT USED: Chris Kane, Michal Hrivnak (GK).
SCORER: Wallace (13)
YELLOW CARD: McMillan (66)

AIRDRIE UNITED: Grant Adam, Chris O'Neil, Ricki Lamie, Gregor Buchanan, Marc Warren; Jamie Bain (Christian McKenna 89), Ross Davidson, Liam Watt, Willie McLaren; John Boyle (Paul Di Giacomo 60), Ryan Donnelly (Jamie Barclay 83)
SUBS NOT USED: Grant Drummond, Andrew Duncan (GK)
SCORERS: Donnelly (4, 59), Di Giacomo (83 pen.)
YELLOW CARD: McLaren (65)

REFEREE:Euan Norris
WEATHER: Fine 4C
ATTENDANCE: 2823

50/50 Winning Tickets: No. 19272. The prize amount was £771.00. The second prize of a DAFC £20.00 gift voucher - ticket No. 25151.

NEXT MATCH: (away) Scottish First Division v Cowdenbeath
Saturday 19th January 2013, Kick off 3.00pm