DUNFERMLINE 3
KILMARNOCK 2
Scorers: Dunfermline - Young (42), Mason (73), Crawford (84)
Kilmarnock - Invincibile (9), Wales (52)
AFTER a separation that lasted two and a half years, a degree of awkwardness might have been expected as Stevie Crawford and Dunfermline gave their relationship another go. It took just 84 minutes for the love affair to bloom again.
The striker has been average at best for Plymouth, Aberdeen and Dundee United since leaving East End Park in 2005 after four prolific seasons that won him 25 Scotland caps. If Saturday's game was a sign of things to come, Dunfermline and Crawford are still perfect for each other.
Having twice come from behind against Kilmarnock, Dunfermline should have been happy with a point they just about merited. But then Crawford - who had done almost nothing in the game - picked up the ball on the lefthand corner of the penalty box, beat two defenders and stuck the ball through the goalkeeper's legs. Like he'd never been away.
"I was screaming for him to square it for me but I'm not going to argue when it hits the back of the net. It was great for the boys and great for him, " said his strike partner Jim Hamilton afterwards.
Hamilton was also making a comeback of sorts, having had a four-month pause at East End Park during his tour of Scotland's senior clubs.
He had been the more impressive of the two new strikers, putting in the kind of dogged, grafting display that has served him well at Motherwell, Livingston, Ross County etc, etc, and setting up the second equaliserwith a knockdown for Gary Mason.
"We dug in great and I was thrilled for Stevie to score the winner, " he said. "[The script] was always set for him - I'd rather it was him than me.
"The fans are expecting him to score every minute almost, but he took his goal brilliantly and that'll help his confidence."
Jim Leishman, the newly 'tacheless Dunfermline manager, said of the 32-year-old: "I sense it is a different Stevie Crawford who has come back here, because he has the determination to finish his career at East End Park on a high.
"I tried to bring Stevie here two or three times before, but it never worked out. If it had not been for the involvement of a local businessman on this occasion, then I do not think we would have been able to sign him."
With the additions of Crawford and Hamilton and the injury list shrinking, Leishman's squad is starting to look stronger, though Kilmarnock still went away bemused that they had not won.
Danny Invincibile had put them ahead after less than 10 minutes, finishing off a fine through ball from Gary Wales with a low strike across goal.
Darren Young tapped in the first equaliser, three minutes before half-time, but the win looked secure when Wales put Kilmarnock back in front with a wonderful goal.
Sprinting on to Allan Johnston's pass, he put Scott Wilson on his backside with a couple of stepovers before firing in from 18 yards.
"It was good for me but there's sort of no point in it if it's not the winning goal, " said Wales, superb throughout but empty-handed and perhaps thinking about giving Crawford's scriptwriter a call.
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