Dunfermline Athletic brought Arbroath crashing back to earth after their five-star display on the Angus coast on Saturday afternoon.
Andrew Tod netted a hat-trick for the Fifers, before further strikes from Zak Rudden and substitute Rory MacLeod completed a 5-0 rout to move to within two points of the Gayfield side.
Dunfermline started brightly as they looked to zip the ball about on the soaking wet surface following the early torrential rain, but it was Arbroath who had the first real chance when Nikolay Todorov got on the end of a low cross to fire goalwards, seeing his effort deflect behind.
It would be the Pars who would open the scoring on 20 minutes though, with Alfons Amade and Jefferson Caceres combining to tee up Andrew Tod, who showed good composure to stick the ball into the net.
Arbroath reacted well though and went close twice in quick succession. Jack Wilkie was involved on both occasions, sending a tantalising cross into the box that Todorov could only divert behind after a vicious bounce on the wet surface. Then, just moments later, the full-back saw his free kick deflect inches past the post as everyone expected the net to bulge.
There was a frantic pace to the match as both sides tried to play on the front foot, but chances were at a premium with yellow cards the name of the game instead, Ryan Dow, Ryan Flynn and Jefferson Caceres all entering referee Lloyd Wilson’s book in the first half.
The visitors did go close on the stroke of half time however, with Shea Kearney’s great cross finding goal scorer Tod who was denied a second by a good McAdams block.
He wasn’t to be denied for long though, getting on the end of a great Rudden cross to divert the ball into the net to give the Fife side a two-goal lead at the interval.
The Pars forward continued to cause the Lichties rearguard havoc after the break, going very close to completing his hat-trick with a curling effort from distance that dropped just over the bar.
Just before the hour mark though, Tod did complete his hat-trick. The linesman’s flag had gone up to signal offside against the striker, but as he hadn’t interfered with play, the game continued allowing him to get on the end of Robbie Fraser’s cross and slide the ball beyond McAdams.
Andrew Tod then turned provider as Dunfermline added a fourth. A quick free kick was launched forward to the front man, and he was able to pick out the onrushing Rudden at the back post who tapped home.
It was well and truly game over by this point, but the away side weren’t finished there, adding a fifth when MacLeod raced onto the ball to slam one into the top corner with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Arbroath: McAdams; Watson (Pettifer, 73), Muirhead, O’Brien, Wilkie; Cochrane (MacIntyre, 46), Flynn; Stewart, Dow (Hickey-Fugaccia, 73), Marshall (Steven, 46); Todorov
Dunfermline Athletic: Munn; Chilokoa-Mullen, Benedictus, J. Tod (Otoo, 80); Kearney, Gilmour, Amade (Cooper, 66), Fraser; A. Tod (MacLeod, 70), Rudden (Kane, 80), Caceres (Oakley-Boothe, 67)
Attendance: 2,074
