Dundee United had everything going for them heading into this match against Dunfermline.
They had all but sewn up the Championship title by beating Inverness Caley Thistle in their last match.
They were visiting a ground that has been kind to them in the past. Indeed, they last lost at East End Park in April, 2007.
They were playing a team that had just been beaten at home to that same ICT side.
They also had 2,490 supporters sitting in the away stand desperate to cheer them on to victory.
It should have been an enjoyable day out in Fife but instead United produced a flat, lacklustre performance that ended in a deserved 2-0 loss to the Pars.
Kevin Nisbet, coveted by United of course, made it 1-0 with a fine header on 26 minutes before Jonathan Afolabi scored a second for the Pars on the hour.
The Tangerines had made one enforced change to their starting line-up, with groin injury injured Calum Butcher replaced by Ian Harkes.
The Pars, likewise, made just the one change, with Ethan Ross in for former Tannadice player Ryan Dow.
There was a scare for the visitors when keeper Benjamin Siegrist dropped a cross from Dom Thomas but the Swiss gathered the loose ball in time.
The Pars had started well and space opened up for striker Nisbet on 10 minutes but he sclaffed his 20-yard shot.
The hosts had another go at United two minutes later when a clever Paul Paton pass played in Afolabi, who pulled his shot across the face of goal and out for a throw-in.
Dunfermline suffered an injury setback on 16 minutes when right-back Aaron Comrie had to be replaced by Lewis Martin.
Nisbet then followed Afolabi’s lead when he fired in a low strike that ended up going out for a throw, albeit at the other side.
United had taken an age to get going but they finally looked dangerous on 20 minutes when Liam Smith burst up the right wing and eventually laid the ball back to Rakish Bingham, who fired not too far over from inside the box.
That was a decent chance but it was the Pars who had been on top and they took a deserved lead on 26 minutes.
A cross was floated into the United goalmouth by Kyle Turner, it went over the head of United’s Jamie Robson and Nisbet was there to place a perfect header into the net to make it 1-0.
Pars defender Euan Murray needed treatment for a head knock after he dived to nod the ball inside the United box. He played on after a few minutes.
A brilliant tackle by Paul Watson stopped Nisbet from breaking into the Tangerines’ penalty box on 43 minutes. Nisbet was then ruled offside as the home team chased a second before half-time.
United, watched by 2,490 travelling fans, managed their first shot on target just before the break when Lawrence Shankland got on the end of a Robson cross but could only direct the ball at keeper Owain Fon Williams.
The visitors just had to be much better after the restart but it was Dunfermline who smacked the post through Nisbet’s strike on 49 minutes.
United’s Louis Appere then fired an angled shot at goal on 51 minutes but it was always going wide.
Tannadice boss waited just nine minutes of the second period before introducing sub Paul McMullan for Pawlett.
United had a shout for a penalty on 59 minutes when defender Mark Connolly, still up the park after a corner, claimed he was held down as he tried to head Dillon Powers’ cross.
However, play raged on and the Pars went right up to the other end and made it 2-0 on the hour mark.
It was a sweeping moved that saw Afolabi tap the ball home from close range after he was picked out by Thomas’s cross from the right. The scorer was booked for over-celebrating.
United immediately brought on Declan Glass for Harkes as they tried to get some zip into their midfield, while Adrian Sporle was also given a runout in place of Bingham.
It was nearly three for the hosts when they burst forward again, beating the offside trap, and Afolabi’s cross had to be swept away for a corner by Smith.
With 10 minutes to go, United – by now looking livelier – moved upfield through McMullan and his cross was headed just over by Shankland.
Thomas fired freekick over the visitors’ bar on 84 minutes before Neilson’s afternoon got worse as he was cautioned by referee Graham Beaton.
All in all, it was an afternoon to forget for United and a memorable one for Dunfermline.
