Annan Athletic 1 - 2 Dunfermline

An EARLY second-half goal from Andy Kirk was enough to take Dunfermline into the second round of the Scottish Communities League Cup, but the SPL side never came close to making Annan, their admirably-defiant Third Division hosts, resemble cannon fodder.

In fact, Annan almost seized a shock lead in 13 minutes, but Sean O'Connor was unable to get enough power into his close-range shot.

It didn't come as a great surprise, however, when the SPL side broke the deadlock in 18 minutes as Andy Barrowman rose to head home Joe Cardle's corner. But Annan refused to buckle and hauled themselves level two minutes later when David Cox fired home from the edge of the box.

This unlikely equaliser breathed new life into the hosts and they ended up finishing the first half on top, with O'Connor blasting over from close range and Ian Harty seeing an overhead kick blocked on the line.

However, the Pars started the second half well and Kirk nodded in what proved to be the winner from a fine Austin McCann delivery in 51 minutes.

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