Dunfermline 0 - 1 Morton: Kiltie nets winner but both teams avoid drop

It was an afternoon of changing fortunes in the battle to avoid the drop but there was no doubting who was the happier that, in the end, both teams staved off the threat of relegation.

Greg Kiltie in action for Morton. Pic: SNS/Ross MacDonald

Only a few weeks ago, Dunfermline were still in the hunt for a promotion play-off but here they were saved from the shoot-out at the other end of the table by results elsewhere. Morton, on the other hand, have come good when most needed, and none more so than Greg Kiltie, who struck for the fourth successive game to send the Cappielow club into fifth. Seemingly in dire straits only a few weeks ago, back-to -back victories have hauled them to safety.

“I’m delighted in the way we turned it around,” said manager Jonatan Johansson. “It’s very, very pleasing, especially in the last three games. Against Inverness at home we deserved three points and to get six points from the two away games is credit to the boys.

“We knew if results went for us and we won we could be fifth with a game to go and that is a really good achievement for us, especially with where we were four games ago.”

Dunfermline were unable to make their first-half dominance count and then had full-back Jackson Longridge sent off after the break for two bookings.

Kiltie swept in the winner six minutes from time after Myles Hippolyte was judged to have barged the airborne on-loan Kilmarnock winger.

“There was no contact at the penalty so I’m bitterly disappointed we lost,” said Pars boss Stevie Crawford.