NIZZY GETS BUSY
IT was pitched as a battle between Kevin Nisbet and Lawrence Shankland – but the Dunfermline star insists he’s firmly focused on his own ambitions. Nisbet won the personal tussle with United’s Shankland after skipper Paul Paton compared the two and claimed the Pars man was the better all-round striker.
Nisbet grabbed the Fifers’ opener and later hit the post while Shankland couldn’t make anything of the three half chances that came his way.
Jonathan Afolabi knocked in his first goal since joining on loan from Celtic last month to ensure the East End Park men beat United at home for the first time in 13 years.
And Nisbet is desperate to ensure the win sparks a rip-roaring run-in as he targets a play-off promotion push and beating last term’s tally of 34 goals.
Asked if Paton’s pre-match billing had piled on the pressure Nisbet said: “I just concentrate on the game in hand.
“It’s a team game, we need to work hard up front, like me and Jon did, and the lads were outstanding. Something I’ve worked on the last 18 months is my workrate off the ball and it’s getting better.
“I can probably get better at it as well, so I just need to keep working hard and hopefully we can get into the play-offs.
“The goals help as well. That’s me on 23 now this season, 18 in the league. That’s great. Now we can kick on and try to fire into the play-offs.
“I got 34 goals last season so I’ve another 11 to go. There are 11 games left so I’m definitely on track and hopefully I can do it.”
Dunfermline, still back in sixth and two points off fourth, were eager to make up for their midweek defeat by Inverness.
The Pars’ opener in the 26th minute was a peach. Kyle Turner’s diagonal over the top sliced open the Tangerines defence and Nisbet’s clinical looping header gave Benjamin Siegrist no chance.
United continued to misplace passes and lose the midfield battle and Dunfermline sealed the victory in the 60th minute.
A lightning attack sent Dom Thomas scampering up the right and his superb cross left Afolabi with the simplest of tasks to bundle in at the back post. The lIFt-oFF Nisbet nods Pars into lead but it is a frustrating time for Shankland, left
Fifers then snuffed out the danger of Shankland and the United attack to ease through the last half an hour.
It was bitterly disappointing for the visitors, backed by an impressive travelling support of around 2500.
Boss Robbie Neilson, whose frustration with Dunfermline’s time-wasting boiled over in injury time when he was yellowcarded by referee Graham Beaton, knows his players just weren’t good enough.
They remain 18 points ahead of Inverness at the top but, with just one win in their last seven games, are in danger of falling over the finishing line.
Neilson said: “We’ve spoken and the performance level was nowhere near the level we want to be at and the level we’ve demanded all season.
“Although the players have done really well, they have to understand that and they do. It’s important we get back to winning ways (against Ayr).
“They’ve got a lot to play for and you see that with Dunfermline as well. Us coming to town is a cup final for them.
“They were celebrating at the end and it’s whether you can do that week-in, week-out. It can be difficult. We just didn’t hit the levels we should be hitting.”