PARS 1 Alloa Athletic 3

DUNFERMLINE were still in the festive spirit as they presented Alloa with three gifts to end the year with a demoralising defeat.

Kevin Nisbet fired the Pars ahead on 20 minutes but they were pegged back within 60 seconds and fell behind four minutes later as Adam Brown and Kevin O'Hara turned the game on its head.

Iain Flannigan made it three from the spot midway through the second half to compound Stevie Crawford's side to their third loss in a row.

A trio of errors proved to be pivotal with Ryan Scully, Josh Edwards and Nisbet all having moments to forget on what proved to be a miserable afternoon for Stevie Crawford and his side.

Alloa had to dig in during the opening exchanges and had Jamie MacDonald to thank for keeping them in it for as long as he did.

He denied Nisbet twice in quick succession, firstly from a close range header and then from an eight-yard strike which he tipped past the post expertly.

The warnings were there for Peter Grant but he watched his side fall behind through the head of Nisbet.

Aaron Comrie superbly released Ryan Dow down the right and he found Nisbet in space to angle his header beyond MacDonald and into the corner out of his reach. The header was Nisbet's 20th goal in a quite remarkable 26 games in all competitions.

The goal had been coming but Dunfermline's lead lasted all of a minute.

Adam Brown scored a goal of the season contender the last time the sides met at East End Park and he once again found the stadium to be a happy hunting ground as he levelled matters less than 60 seconds after the restart.

Ryan Scully flapped at a corner and after making a decent save from Alloa's first attempt to score, he could do nothing to prevent Brown's rifled effort which evaded everyone on its way into the net.

Worse was to come for the Pars as Alloa went ahead. Josh Edwards was this time to blame as his ball forward rocketed off a white shirt and backwards into the path of Kevin O'Hara. The ex-Falkirk man fired low at goal and although Scully got a hand to it, he couldn't keep it out as Alloa scored twice in four minutes to turn the game around.

Dunfermline emerged from the break on the front foot and they thought they had strong claims for a penalty when Greg Kiltie's strike hit an Alloa body in the box. The defender had his back to the midfielder's effort, and Steven Reid adamantly ignored all claims on 50 minutes.

Reid would point to the spot on 66 minutes however as Nisbet fouled Jon Robertson in the Pars box.

There could be no complaints and Iain Flannigan emphatically fired Alloa 3-1 up from the spot. Scully guessed the right way but there was no stopping the penalty.

Alloa were the team looking more likely to score despite Stevie Crawford ringing the changes and throwing Lewis McCann up front to support Nisbet, with Anthony McDonald, Kiltie and Dow all forward in the attack.

It left them open on the break and Alloa could have made it four but wasted several chances late on.

Alloa have loved East End Park in recent visits and left the ground today unbeaten again after six meetings in all competitions at the venue.

Wins for Queen of the South and Arbroath have tightened up the league with Pars now fifth on goal difference, four points ahead of Partick Thistle, who also won, in eighth place.

PARS: Scully, Comrie, Ashcroft, Martin, Edwards (McCann 76), Dow, Thomson (McDonald 65), Paton, Turner (Todd 87), Kiltie, Nisbet.

Subs not used: Gill, Lang, McGill, Cochrane.

Goal: Nisbet (20).

Alloa: MacDonald, Robertson, Taggart, Deas, Dick, Cawley, Hetherington, Flannigan, O'Hara, Buchanan (Thomson 72), Brown.

Subs not used: Henry, Malcolm, O'Donnell, Gillespie.

Goals: Brown (21), O'Hara (25), Flannigan (67).

Booked: Brown, Hetherington.

Attendance: 4,257.

Referee: Steven Reid.