ALEX Burke scored his first goal in a Dunfermline jersey but it wasn't enough to prevent Livingston from taking a deserved share of the spoils.
The on loan St Mirren midfielder, who is set to sign a pre-contract deal , struck early on as the Fifers attempted to erase the memory of the Lions' previous visit in November when they suffered a painful 4-0 defeat under the charge of Stephen Kenny.
The swirling wind was always going to make life difficult for both teams although it did not stop Dunfermline from taking the lead after only 12 minutes. Burke played a clever one-two with Stevie Crawford and finished the job off in style with a drive into the corner of the net, past the helpless Colin Stewart, from 18 yards out.
The advantage, however, was to only last some 11 minutes as Livingston levelled. The alarm bells were ringing in the Pars defence when Robert Snodgrass' shot came off skipper Scott Wilson and the ball broke to Graham Dorrans who wasted no time in dispatching a right-foot drive past former Scotland goalkeeper Paul Gallacher.
The second half saw both sides going all out for the winner and Crawford must have fancied his chances when he got in behind the Lions defence following a Scott Thomson cross but he was stopped dead in his tracks by a brilliant challenge from skipper James McPake. Dunfermline manager Jim McIntyre brought on Nicky Phinn , Tam McManus and Paul Willis in a bid to claim all three points but they were up against an enterprising Livingston side.
The full article contains 274 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
