Dundee denied by Nicholson

Dundee FC were forced to settle for a share of the points after ten-man Dunfermline Athletic FC snatched a late equaliser in the Scottish Premier League on Wednesday night.

Fine comeback
Dundee took a two-goal lead through goals from Gavin Rae and Fabian Caballero in the first five minutes. But a Scott Thomson penalty shortly after the re-start hauled Dunfermline back into the game and, despite the dismissal of Stevie Crawford, they were rewarded for their hard work in injury time when Barry Nicholson nodded home the equaliser.

At the double
Rae opened the scoring when he fired hom from just inside the penalty area after just three minutes. Caballero doubled the lead after he was allowed to run unchallenged into the area and send a right-footed shot into the back of the net.

Thomson penalty
Dunfermline pulled a goal back within three minutes of the restart after referee Willie Young ruled that Barry Smith had brought down Chris McGroarty in the area. Thomson stepped up for the spot-kick and duly converted from 12 yards to haul Dunfermline back into the game.

Red card
Yet the visitors were reduced to ten men on 74 minutes after a scuffle broke out. Crawford tried to wrestle the ball from Dundee goalkeeper Julian Speroni to take a corner as Massimo Beghetto lay on the ground injured. The Dundee goalkeeper then went to ground, too, as though he had been struck. Referee Young dismissed Crawford and cautioned the goalkeeper for his part in the incident.

Late drama
Dunfermline remained undeterred, however, and were still searching for the leveller as the game headed into the fourth minute of injury time when Nicholson nodded home unchallenged from a Michael Panopoulos cross to snatch a share of the points.