Kilmarnock's emphatic win over lowly Dunfermline takes them to within two points of the Premier League leaders Rangers.

Dunfermline, with only one win in the last 14 games, are being increasingly stuck at the bottom of the League.

After a bright start the game looked like descending into mediocrity until Ian Durrant scored the first of two brilliant goals in the 36th minute.

It was a blockbuster of a shot from 25 yards. It came to him from a throw-in and he netted from the top corner of the crossbar.

Dunfermline's response was unimpressive and they were obviously surprised at what was at this point, a surprise Killie score. They never really recovered their composure.

After the cross over Durrant made it two in the 56th minute. A ball from the right caught the Dunfermline defence napping. Jerome Vareille neatly picked up the ball and slipped it to Durrant who scored from a very narrow angle.

Dunfermline made some attempts to try to reduce the leeway and Andy Tod struck the Kilmarnock upright with a header from a Gavin Johnson corner in the 62nd minute.

Six minutes later the Killie keeper Gordon Marshall did well to stop an Andy Smith header from an Edinho cross.

In the 77th minute Gary Holt put the game beyond any doubt.

He battled for the ball with three defenders, finally broke through and gave keeper Lee Butler no chance from eight yards. Kilmarnock manager Bobby Williamson said prior to the game he would settle for not losing anything because East End Park was always a difficult place to take points from.

But Dunfermline's manager Bert Paton will now be wondering whether his oft-quoted phrase 'that apart from Rangers and Celtic, Dunfermline were as good as any other team in the League' is really true.

Teams

Dunfermline: Butler, Shields, McCulloch, Tod, Ireland, Smith, Johnson (Petrie 75), Edinho, Squires, Graham (French 61), Ferguson.

Subs Not Used: Westwater, Fraser, Martin.

Booked: Tod.

Kilmarnock: Marshall, MacPherson, Montgomerie, McGowne, Reilly, Holt, Wright, Durrant (Mahood 80), Mitchell, Vareille (McCoist 81), Baker.

Subs Not Used: Bagan, Burke, Strain.

Booked: Montgomerie.

Goals: Durrant 32, 56, Holt 77.

Att: 5,608

Ref: G Mitchell (Arbroath).