ARBROATH 1
Bird (45+3) DUNFERMLINE 1 Wighton (90+1)
There was no Christmas cheer at Gayfield as Jim Mcintyre revealed both Jermaine Hylton and Jay Bird will face repercussions internally after a sensational fight with each other that saw the latter get sent off by referee Lloyd Wilson.
Bird opted for a strike at goal when there was an option to play his strike partner in that subsequently forced the pair to clash in front of 1,910 fans.
The Red Lichties went in at halftime with a deserved 1-0 lead thanks to Bird before Dunfermline showed great resilience to level through Craig Wighton’s 90th-minute header.
Mcintyre raged: “The turning point was obviously the incident with the two players who weren’t happy with each other – one wanted a shot and the other wanted a pass. It’s totally unprofessionalism that ensued
“Both will be dealt with internally. To come out after the sterling effort by the players, and them two included, and be talking about that isn’t acceptable.
“If you want to say something then say it in the dressing room and deal with it after the game – don’t do it on the pitch and punish the rest of the players who have got to hang on.
“I’m disappointed we couldn’t take all three points. At 11 v 11 we looked like going to win the game but full credit to Dunfermline for coming back.
“I’ve had a conversation but it’s best we calm down before dealing with Jay and Jermaine, we’ll deal with it during the week.”
A commanding half from the hosts saw them take the lead on the stroke of half-time, a long-ball down the park found Bird who smashed home a powerful shot beyond Deniz Mehmet.
Bird then saw red for that altercation with team-mate Hylton that infuriated supporters and Mcintyre before Dunfermline rescued a point in the 91st minute with a Joe Chalmers corner finding Craig Wighton who jumped highest to level.
Pars boss James Mcpake confirmed captain Chris Hamilton was taken to the hospital. He said: “It was a sore one for Chris, fair play to Arbroath’s doctor as he said straight away to get him off the park. We’ll hopefully have players coming back though.”