Peterhead were unable to boost their bid for League One survival as they fell to a 2-0 defeat to Dunfermline Athletic.
After a solid first half at Balmoor where the Buchan outfit had matched the full-time professional Fifers, Dunfermline took the lead 10 minutes after the interval through Nikolay Todorov.
Second-half substitute Craig Wighton scored Dunfermline’s second on 67 minutes to secure all three points for the Pars, who could’ve won the title with the win if Falkirk had not won 2-1 at Montrose.
The defeat means bottom side Peterhead remain two points behind Clyde – who they play next weekend, but up next for Peterhead is a trip to Links Park on Saturday.
The Blue Toon made one change from Saturday’s win over FC Edinburgh for the visit of Dunfermline as defender Kevin Joshua came in for Jason Brown, who missed out completely due to injury.
It was the home side who had the first chance as player-interim co-manager Jordon Brown headed an effort goalward from a corner, but it was cleared off the line by Joseph Chalmers.
Peterhead then won a free-kick in a dangerous position 20 yards out from goal – after a stamp on Kieran Shanks – which Brown’s fellow player-interim co-boss Ryan Strachan took, but it was right down the throat of Deniz Mehmet in the Dunfermline goal.
At the other end, Lewis McCann burst into the Blue Toon box and outmuscled Leyton Bisland, who did recover well to force the ball out for a Peterhead goal kick.
Dunfermline looked dangerous down the left flank and Matthew Todd sent in an inviting ball across the face of goal, however, none of his incoming team-mates connected with it.
The away side then won a free kick for a foul on McCann just outside the box which Chalmers took and whipped in a decent ball to find Christopher Hamilton, who headed over.
Dunfermline had the best chance since Brown’s header in the opening stages on 25 minutes, when Joshua Edwards burst into the box and found McCann, whose shot from close-range was superbly saved by an alert Stuart McKenzie.
Near the end of the first half, there were two penalty shouts from Dunfermline after two potential handballs, but referee Dan McFarlane was not interested.
On the stroke of half-time, Bisland went close with a curling effort for Peterhead, which could’ve been mistaken for a cross, as Mehmet was forced into making an uncomfortable looking collection in the air.
Dunfermline opener early in second half at Balmoor
In the second half, Josh Oyinsan was so close to being one-v-one with Mehmet after Kyle Benedictus sloppily lost possession deep in his own half, but the Peterhead forward’s first touch was too heavy and the Pars recovered.
Benedictus took his frustration out on Oyinsan moments later by hauling him to the ground as the Blue Toon won a free-kick, which Jack Wilkie sent in to the box.
Dunfermline should’ve went 1-0 up in the 55th minute as Ritchie-Hosler found Todorov unmarked in the box, but he fluffed his lines and didn’t connect with the ball.
However, the Pars number 10 did net the opener at Balmoor on 56 minutes with a good finish from inside the box – dropping his shoulder to deceive McKenzie before slotting the ball beyond the Blue Toon keeper.
Pars skipper Benedictus went close to doubling their advantage, but he saw his header at the back post, from a Chalmers corner, cleared off the line.
It was 2-0 soon after, though, as Wilkie gifted McCann possession and he burst into the box before laying off Wighton, who slotted the ball into the back of the net from only a couple of yards out.
Shanks registered Peterhead’s first and only real chance of the second half when he did well to create some space for himself on the edge of the box, but his effort trailed wide.
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