Pars hit back twice to deny United

Dunfermline twice came from behind to earn a deserved draw at Station Park, Forfar.

United keeper Brett Long was at full stretch to beat a Reece Duncan shot away after 25 minutes.

The visitors saw an appeal for a penalty for handball rejected before, similar to the first-team meeting on Tuesday, United went up the park and scored.

With 30 minutes gone, Jack Allan, who replaced the injured Logan Davie, delivered a cross and Louis Appere bundled the ball in at the near post.

Just before the hour mark, the Fifers levelled. Robbie Crawford chipped the ball over and Stuart Morrison’s glancing header went in off the far post.

Both sides had chances before United regained the lead after 69 minutes.

A neat exchange of passes between Dom McMeekin and Brad Smith enabled the latter to surge through before finding the net with a crisp finish.

Six minutes from the end, Reece Duncan found space in the United box and curled the ball into the far corner.

Dundee United: Long, Davie (Allan 13), Hornby, Dailly, Ritchie, Reekie, Chalmers, B Smith, Garden, Appere (Robb 83), McMeekin. Subs not used: Young, Inglis, Hutchison, Banks, Evans. Dunfermline: Gill, Duncan, Fordyce, Morrison, Robertson, Crawford, Horne, Galloway, Todd (Andrew 72): C Smith, Luke. Subs not used: Jordan, Sawers, O’Donnell.