The true winners of this game were the fans. They were served up a thrill a
minute second half played at furious pace that produced five goals with the
final result always in doubt.
At the start Aberdeen had the edge and took the lead in the 19th minute when
Dave Rowson headed home an Eoin Jess cross despite a strong challenge from Andy
Tod.
A few minutes earlier keeper Ian Westwater was at full stretch to save a low
bullet from Rowson.
Aberdeen kept up the pressure and were unlucky not to go further ahead in the
25th minute when keeper Westwater was obviously blinded by a low sun and did not
see a Joe Miller blockbuster until the last second. It was only his lightning
reflexes that prevented a goal.
Craig Ireland should have equalised for the Pars just on the half hour but he
headed a Stewart Petrie corner wide.
The first half ended with Dunfermline fighting hard to try and get back in the
game.
And that's exactly what they did on the resumption. In the 46th minute Andy
Tod rose to his full six foot three inches height to head home a Petrie free
kick near the right touchline.
A minute later Derek Whyte booted a Hamish French header off the goalline.
In the 53rd minute Aberdeen were truly rocked when Tod put the home side
ahead.
Andy Smith knocked down a pass to French who slipped the ball to Tod who
rifled home his second goal from seven yards.
Dunfermline were now well and truly on top and the visitors were trying
desperately to regain their form.
And they did so in the 64th minute when keeper Westwater punched out a
dangerous cross that Rowson rifled back into the corner of the net for his
second goal.
Then Aberdeen went back into the lead in the 70th minute when Brian O'Neil
headed home a Steve Glass corner and it looked like curtains for Dunfermline.
But in the 80th minute Dunfermline equalised yet again.
Two minutes earlier George Shaw had substituted for French. He gathered a pass
from another sub Ivon Den Bieman and hooked it overhead into the Aberdeen net
with keeper Jim Leighton completely beaten.
Three minutes from time, Rowson had the chance to put the game beyond all
doubt when he rifled a rocket from 17 yards but Westwater somehow got a hand to
it to turn it away for a corner.
Teams:
Dunfermline: Westwater, Shields, McCulloch, Tod, Ireland,
Huxford, Bingham (Den Bieman 78), Robertson, Smith,
French (Shaw 78), Petrie (Millar 89).
Booked: McCulloch, French.
Goals: Tod 46, 53, Shaw 80.
Aberdeen: Leighton, Anderson, Whyte, O'Neil, Inglis, Smith,
Miller, Jess, Rowson, Dodds, Glass (Bernard 81).
Subs Not Used: Windass, Buchan.
Goals: Rowson 19, 64, O'Neil 70.
Att: 5,917
Ref: H Dallas (Motherwell).
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