Johnston ‘frustrated’ as battling Rovers hold Pars

LEADERS: Dunfermline go 11 points clear at the top despite draw

Dunfermline edged closer to promotion after moving 11 points clear of secondplaced Peterhead with a 1-1 draw against battling Albion Rovers last night.

But there was disappointment at East End Park as Ross Davidson’s toe-poked equaliser 14 minutes from time cancelled out a spectacular opener from substitute Ryan Wallace to deny the Fifers an even healthier lead.

“It was a wee bit frustrating to only get a draw,” admitted boss Allan Johnston.

“It’s another point, but we lost a really poor goal and we should be winning games like that. We’re in a great position, but we have a lot of big games coming up .”

Despite five straight wins, Dunfermline have been slow starters recently and that was evident again last night as it took 23 minutes before Joe Cardle’s jinking run and rising shot offered the first serious threat to visiting keeper Ross Stewart.

Shaun Byrne soon went closer with an improvised flick from Craig Reid’s cross, but Stewart made the save, and the home side’s growing frustration was clear as Cardle was booked for an optimistic penalty-box tumble.

Well-organised at the back, mid-table Rovers offered little in attack besides a series of long-range efforts, but that changed at the start of the second half when it required a top-notch save from Sean Murdoch to claw away Scott McBride’s curling free kick.

The Pars were stung into retaliation, and after defender Brad McKay headed narrowly wide, manager Johnston made a double switch, bringing on Wallace and David Hopkirk for Cardle and Michael Moffat.

Within minutes, Hopkirk’s pass set up top scorer Faissal El Bakhtaoui, but Stewart’s reflex stop denied him his 25th goal of the season.

Johnston rolled the dice again, introducing Rhys McCabe, who promptly tested Stewart from distance. The pressure was building and it finally told in the 74th minute, although there was still time for a surprise ending.

Dunfermline: Murdoch, Reid, Talbot, McKay, Richards-Everton, Falkingham, Paton, Byrne (McCabe 65), Moffat (Wallace 55), El Bakhtaoui, Cardle (Hopkirk 55). Substitutes not used: Hutton, Martin, Rooney, Crossan.

Albion Rovers: Stewart, Reid, Turnbull, Talu, R Dun lop, M Dunlop, Georgiev, Davidson, Archibald (Barrowman 67 (Ferry 89)), Petrie (Love 75), McBride. Substitutes not used: Lochhead, Young, McRobbie.

Picture: Craig Brown. Pars sub Ryan Wallace fires home to give Dunfermline the lead.