Dunfermline Athletic Reserves started their cup group stage with a victory against a strong Livingston side at the Toni Macaroni Arena.
Taylor Sutherland opened the scoring in the first half, with Isma Goncalves equalising for Livingston after the break.
Jake Rennie came off the bench and scored within moments to win the game.
Courier Sport takes a look at the main talking points of the 2-1 win.
Strong Livingston side
Livingston sent out an XI packed full of players either in and out of the first team or on the fringes – including the nine subs named for their most recent match.
Bruce Anderson is working his way back to fitness but Isma Goncalves, Jack Fitzwater and James Penrice all came off the bench in the 1-0 win over Kilmarnock – which took them to third in the league at the time.
Here's how the Lions line up for this afternoon's @spfl @cinchuk Reserve Cup clash with @officialdafc.@thetalentogroup – our official, social media partner 2022/23.
LIV vs DUN | #LFCLive | #cinchReserveCup pic.twitter.com/jLVA6K7n8t
— Livingston Football Club (@LiviFCOfficial) September 20, 2022
Stephen Kelly signed from Rangers in the summer and Andrew Shinnie has made 45 first-team appearances since the start of last season.
Greg Shields lined up the Pars in a 4-4-2, which often became a 4-2-4 when Sutherland and Andrew Tod pushed forward.
Young boys impress
The Pars first-team players who turned out, with pretty much the rest of the squad watching from the stand, all put in good performances – especially Lewis McCann.
It was the younger players who stood out, though, including Sutherland who opened the scoring with an excellent run and finish after cutting in from the right.
On the other side, Tod caused the home side issues while Miller Fenton impressed at full-back – as did the young centre-back pairing of Sam Fisher and Sam Young.
🆕He is one of an exciting crop of youngsters making their mark at Dunfermline.
⚽️The 16yo SFA Performance school graduate exudes confidence on the ball.
🗣️But his manager has warned against family comparisons.
🎙️Interview with Andrew Tod: https://t.co/THqVAvHRj2
— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) July 16, 2022
Under-18 right-back Liam Hoggan – who turned 16 on Sunday – came on for the final stages, making a crucial block towards the end.
Rennie later came on and finished McCann’s cutback moments after replacing Craig Wighton – with Sutherland again involved.
Game-time for Wighton
For someone like Wighton it was a great opportunity for some minutes against a side full of quality.
The forward played just off McCann in attack and had a first-half shot blocked as Dunfermline dominated.
In that moment he took a knock and drew a foul that saw Penrice booked, but he seemed to come through unscathed.
Wighton has been making his way back from injury recently after seeing a knee specialist.
Livingston enjoyed plenty of the ball in the first half but failed to work Max Little – his only save coming as the flag was raised.
The hosts came back into it in the second half, equalising through Goncalves who caught Little out at his near post.
Dunfermline (4-4-2): Little; Comrie (Hoggan – tralist), Young, Fisher, Fenton; Sutherland, Hamilton, Chalmers (Beagley), Tod; Wighton (Rennie), McCann. Sub not used: Mehmet, Rennie.
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