David Hopkirk savoured a dream debut and revealed that signing for the Pars moved him to tears of joy.
After Andy Geggan had scored against his old Ayr mates, former Annan star Hopkirk got the clinching second as Dunfermline ended a run of six games without victory.
The 22-year-old forward said: “I didn’t expect to start against Ayr, and then to score a goal made it an unbelievable day.
“I have been working full-time at Scotmid in Cranhill in Glasgow and playing part-time with Annan, so it’s a big step up.
“I was in tears when I got the call to join Dunfermline as it means I can concentrate on working full-time as a footballer.
“I am very happy to join a club like Dunfermline who have a great history, a good stadium and amazing fans.
“I knew some of the boys like Kyle McAusland and Shaun Byrne from earlier in my career, so it was good to see familiar faces.
“I feel that I can work here and do my best for the club, and I believe we can get promoted and can even win the title yet.”
Hopkirk was also involved in the opener, playing a short corner to Lewis Spence, whose cross was met with a bullet header by Geggan as Pars broke the deadlock midway through the second half.
The debutant’s big moment came in stoppage time when he converted Spence’s flicked pass with a right-foot shot into the bottom left corner from 16 yards.
Dunfermline boss John Potter said: “We were better in the second half and settled after the first goal and we fought hard to see it out so it’s a great relief.
“David Hopkirk showed composure with his goal and he had a great debut but he is a talented player who can do well for us.
“I am not worried about our strikers not scoring as long as we are scoring and getting some wins.
“I made a few changes as we have a strong squad and I felt it was important to freshen things up.
“Josh Falkingham and Alex Whittle, who I started with on the subs’ bench, showed a great attitude about it. They both played a great part when they came on in the second half and played a big part in the win.
“It’s all about the whole squad between now and the end of the season, and everyone has a part to play in the promotion bid.”
Ayr boss Ian McCall said: “It was a sore one as we had a couple of good chances at 0-0.”