Battling Binos can’t halt the Pars fightback
Hosts prove too strong as cup journey ends
Dunfermline ultimately proved too strong as they made it four wins out of four to top Betfred Cup Group D as the Binos finished in fourth place.
A terrific goal from Peter MacDonald gave Dave Mackay’s men a surprise halftime lead but Allan Johnston’s men hit back in the second half with a double from former St Mirren and Falkirk forward Myles Hippolyte and one from on-loan Dundee midfielder James Vincent.
Binos boss Mackay was sent to the stand in the aftermath of what looked like a penalty when Jason Marr was barged in the box with the score at 2-1 but referee Mike Roncone waved away the appeals.
The Pars, who had thumped Brechin 7-1 in midweek, deserved their victory but Albion will take heart from their performance going into Saturday’s Ladbrokes League Two opener at Berwick.
It was an unchanged team to the one that beat Peterhead 2-0 at Balmoor last weekend, with Darren Barr, Darren Smith, Kevin Moon and Lee Hamilton again ruled out and on a bright and breezy afternoon, Stirling survived an early storm, with the home side forcing several corners, but they grew into the game and took the lead with a superb goal nine minutes short of half-time.
On-loan Motherwell man Neil McLaughlin showed great tenacity to retain possession and fed the ball out to Jordan Allan.
The left-back sent over a booming cross and youngster Kevin Fell met it on the volley to set up MacDonald, who got ahead of his marker and steered a shot beyond Cammy Gill for his second goal of the season.
Centre-half Mark Durnan came close with a header as the hosts tried to hit back immediately but Albion led at the break and were dreaming of a first success at East End Park since 1992/93. But Dunfermline came out fired up after the interval and were level within a couple of minutes.
Full-back Jackson Longridge sent a long ball down the left channel and Hippolyte got beyond Kyle Banner to run clear and confidently beat Cammy Binnie with a low finish.
Within 10 minutes the Fife club were in front. The elusive Faissal El Bakhtaoui, on loan from Dundee, got clear and hit the bar with an effort from the tightest of angles but the ball broke perfectly for Vincent – who scored the goal that won Inverness CT the Scottish Cup in 2015 – to nod home.
Albion threatened occasionally in the second half but it was largely Dunfermline dominance as they carved out, and missed, several good chances. They sealed the win in stoppage time when substitute Andy Ryan’s free-kick clattered against the crossbar and Hippolyte nodded in the rebound as Dunfermline topped the section. Runners-up Dundee also qualified, with Brechin City third, Stirling Albion fourth and Peterhead propping up the table.
DUNFERMLINE ATHLETIC: Gill, Craigen, J Longridge, Devine, Durnan, Ashcroft, Thomson, Vincent (Connolly 71), El Bakhtaoui (Ryan 71), L Longridge, Hippolyte. Subs not used: Robinson (GK), Williamson, Higginbotham, McCann, Smith. STIRLING ALBION: Binnie, McGeachie, Allan, Marr, Banner, Docherty, Stewart, Jardine, P MacDonald (McLaren 77), Fell (Watson 72), McLaughlin. Subs not used: Law (GK), Young, Thomson, M MacDonald, C MacDonald.