Ayr United 1 PARS 1

ATHLETIC head coach Stevie Crawford admits his side face three "critical" home games after their play-off push stuttered again at Ayr United on Saturday.

With four matches left in their SPFL Championship season - which includes a huge clash with third top Dundee at East End tomorrow evening - Dunfermline remain two points outside the top four after a third draw with the Honest Men this season.

Despite Declan McManus - with his ninth goal of the season - heading the Pars into a 12th minute lead, Michael Miller's equaliser shortly afterwards forced them to settle for a point and fail to take advantage of results elsewhere.

With Inverness - two points and a place above - failing to win, along with Dundee and Raith Rovers, Crawford's side missed the opportunity to move back into fourth and put pressure on those in second and third place.

Following Dundee's visit, Queen of the South come calling on Saturday, followed by another match at home to Arbroath on April 24, before the season concludes at Alloa - eight points adrift of safety with three games to play - on April 30.

"We know that we have to get back to winning ways and we have three home fixtures coming up now that will be critical to how the season finishes for us now," Crawford told the club's website after the match at Somerset Park.

"As I say there is always work to be done in some areas but we have come to a hard place. I spoke to Hoppy (David Hopkin, Ayr manager) after the game and I came down and watched the game that they lost 3-0 (v Dundee) during the week and he has decided to go with five at the back today.

"I thought we battled and I thought that the reaction since the Raith Rovers game, not just in the two games that we have played but also on the training pitch, the boys are giving it their lot, their attitude, their attitude and fight to the cause.

"We are now going into the next three home games knowing that we have to start winning games and give ourselves the best possible chance to finish in the play-offs now."

From the scoreless draw with Hearts - who were crowned as champions following their 6-0 thrashing of Alloa on Friday, coupled with Raith and Dundee failing to win - the injured Scott Banks, and Iain Wilson, made way for Ewan Henderson and Fraser Murray.

Dunfermline started brightly, pushing a defensive-minded Ayr back in the early stages, and got their reward 12 minutes in.

On-loan Celtic midfielder Henderson was the creator, sending over a terrific ball that required a glancing header from McManus, who obliged brilliant to find the far side of the home net.

It was just the start Crawford and his team were looking for, and seemed to have set them up to take the game to a home side that had won just one of its previous six league games.

Ayr are looking nervously over their shoulder in a bid to avoid the relegation play-off spot and, after Luke McCowan came close, they pulled level in 24 minutes.

They broke forward on the left and, after evading a couple of Pars challenges, Mark McKenzie got the ball across the box to Miller, who stabbed an effort goalwards - perhaps via a deflection - that found its way home.

The visitors tried to respond, with Lewis Mayo sending an effort off-target, while McManus was not too far away with a shot wide early in the second half.

Craig Wighton was introduced in the last 20 minutes as Dunfermline, now deploying a back three, tried to find a winner.

Although they upped the ante in the final 10 minutes - which saw McManus blocked out, Mayo having a header held by home keeper PJ Morrison, and Kevin O'Hara shooting wide - they couldn't find one.

"The pitch was quite lively and we gave up on two natural wide players to go to a three at the back so that we didn’t get done in the middle of the park with the overload," Crawford explained.

"We still matched up with three in the middle but that allowed us to get three up front with Declan just in behind.

"It meant that Josh (Edwards) and Aaron (Comrie) were giving us the width in the second half and on other days, that last ten minutes we had a couple of efforts from distance. Declan had a few that sometimes fall for you.

"At this moment in time that is the rub of the green that we are not getting. It was important looking at the results now to come away with a point today and not lose any ground on anybody."

Honest Men boss Hopkin commented: "I think we limited a very good Dunfermline team to very little.

"I thought our shape was great, I got the commitment I've been looking for, and I just thought today we concede a poor goal again. We get back in the game, we score a fantastic goal, and after that I think we should have just pushed on and tried to score the winner.

"I thought we were comfortable. I thought our attacking play was better, passing the ball was better, and I just think the shape that we played today probably suited what we have available just now.

"We defended really well but I just thought today, going with a back three, helped us.

"I think it helped us get forward, it helped us create stuff, we had legs and energy in the team, and on another day, I'm disappointed. I thought we should've had three points."

Ayr United: Morrison, Houston, Baird, Ndaba, Reading, Muirhead, Barjonas, Miller, Roscoe, McCowan (Wright 65), McKenzie.

Subs not used: Murdoch, Walsh, Chalmers, Zanatta, Hewitt, Urminsky.

Goal: Miller (24).

Pars: Fôn Williams, Comrie, Gašpuitis, E.Murray (Whittaker 73), Edwards, Thomas (Wighton 73), Henderson, Mayo, F.Murray (Watson 65), McManus, O'Hara.

Subs not used: McCann, MacDonald, McInroy, Gill.

Goal: McManus (12).

Referee: Greg Aitken.