Andy Geggan has called on Dunfermline to repeat their Scottish Cup winning performance over Ayr when they return to Somerset Park in the league in a fortnight’s time.
The Pars skipper hopes the Fifers have stolen a psychological march on the team who lead them by three points in the chase to be crowned League One champions.
Geggan’s celebrations have been muted when scoring against his old team since swapping camps three years ago.
But this time, there was no disguising his joy as he raced to the visitors’ dug out to spark wild scenes on the touchline.
Geggan said: “We’ve set down a marker for the league and this win will make it tastier for the next game.
“I’ve scored a few goals against Ayr since leaving them but I celebrated this one because the fans have been giving me dog’s abuse.
“I didn’t train all week and then took a knock on my left knee inside the first minute but you have to battle on in a game like that.”
Geggan’s goal, hit with his left foot, was enough to settle a frantic Scottish Cup tie which was ruined by a howling wind and driving rain.
The 25 yard strike came just referee Kevin Clancy missed the game’s big flashpoint when Joe Cardle appeared to throw an off-the-ball punch at Jamie Adams which sent the Ayr midfielder crashing to the turf.
Ayr players surrounded the whistler as home fans screamed for a red card.
But after consulting his assistant, Clancy opted for a finger-wagging for Josh Falkingham.
Ayr, with the elements at their backs, stormed back after falling behind but found goalie Sean Murdoch in top form.
The keeper was in inspired form as he pulled off brilliant stops in quick succession to deny Alan Trouten, Ross Docherty and MIkey Donald before the interval.
Dunfermline tried to harness the fierce wind after the break to put the tie to bed and they almost did it when Michael Paton scraped the bar with an in-swinging corner that swirled in the wind.
Then Paton drilled a low free kick through the defensive wall only for Greg Fleming to get down well to smother the ball on the line.
Ayr threw on three early subs on and went flat out for an equaliser roared on by a vociferous home support.
They almost got it when Adams flashed a header just wide before a shot from sub Brian Gilmour was tipped wide by the diving Murdoch.
Pars boss Allan Johnston revealed: “We have scored the most amount of goals and lost the fewest so you can see how important it is to score first.
“When you look at some of the sliding challenges from some of their players, they were lucky to keep 11 players on the park.”
Ayr boss Ian McCall said: “I’m gutted for the players and the fans who turned out in horrid weather. We definitely merited a draw.”