Frustrated East Fife player-boss Gary Naysmith was left reeling over a last-gasp goal and a string of missed chances at Galabank.
The Methil men gave as good as they got in a keenly contested affair but were unable to get the win that would have snuffed out Annan’s hopes of pipping them for the final play-off place.
Naysmith said: “I felt we had the better chances and with the missed penalty Fraser ( Mullen) slipped which you can’t legislate for. In open play we were more dangerous and had the best chances throughout but Annan were direct with five up front at times.
“Our back four handled their threat well for the most part but I am mortified that we lost a goal with 15 seconds left.
“I have said to the players to do anything to stop them scoring and to stop the cross as it was too easy and their scorer was unmarked. It’s criminal to lose like that late on to a free header in the six-yard box after enjoying the best of the chances.
“The players and myself are sick as we had a good support here at Annan and it was a sore defeat.”
East Fife made a terrible start when Ryan McStay curled home a 20 yard shot inside two minutes.
The visitors should have hit back on 11 minutes when Nathan Austin was upended in the box by Steven Black.
Mullen sent the keeper the wrong way but slipped while connecting with the spot-kick and sent the ball over the bar.
Despite the penalty miss and the loss of the early goal, the Fifers enjoyed the better of the first half and were rewarded when Austin buried an unstoppable angled shot beyond Jordan Hart in the home goal.
A great run from Sean Dickson on 69 minutes ended with him playing in Austin who fired inches wide with the keeper beaten.
On 88 minutes Annan’ Peter Weatherson sent a clever flicked effort narrowly over after a cross from Martin McNiff.
Then deep in stoppage time the unmarked McNiff headed Black’s cross firmly into the net to give Annan a potentially crucial win.
Despite the defeat, Naysmith, who limped off with a calf injury on 79 minutes, looked at the positives.
He added: “We knew it would go to the wire but it’s still in our own hands and we have the players to do it.”