In the preview for this game in Saturday’s Courier, lifelong Hibs fan Liam Buchanan admitted there would be no room for sentiment if he lined up against his favourites from Leith.
If they are to achieve that aim, the Pars simply have to stop conceding so many goals their defence has too often been as resilient as wet tissue paper and Saturday was the 11th time they have shipped three or more in a game this season.
After opening the scoring against Hibs in the 13th minute thanks to an Andy Kirk glancing header from a Joe Cardle flighted free-kick, the Pars only held their lead until just after the half-hour mark.
A Paddy Boyle attempted clearance was played back in to the Dunfermline box by David Wotherspoon. With Boyle out of position, Griffiths gleefully pounced to shoot across Turner and into the net.
The Hibees then took the lead in the 74th minute when Callum Booth ran from deep unopposed before finding Griffiths who then passed to substitute Garry O’Connor. With Boyle once again posted missing, the big striker made no mistake, lashing the ball high into Turner’s net.
The Pars then equalised before suffering the heartbreak of watching Griffiths secure his second and Hibs’ third.
Buchanan admitted that Dunfermline’s defensive effort all over the park has to improve but he believes that once it does, they will start climbing the table once again.
He added: ”We need to look at the whole team’s performance not just the defence and if we manage to pick up clean sheets like we did at the start of the season, and maybe win a few 1-0 games, then I’m sure we will be fine.
”That was one of our better performances probably since we won at Easter Road in November. I thought the boys worked really hard and we were a bit unlucky not to take something from the game.”
Pars boss Jim McIntyre tried to accentuate the positives despite the hammer blow defeat.
He said: ”I thought it was a fantastic game of football for the neutral. Obviously, it is not the result we wanted but if we serve up that every week, we’ll be fine. There are lots of positives and we did not have a failure in the side.”
His opposite number Fenlon added: ”I’m pleased for the players. They have shown real desire to do well for this football club and that’s what we are looking for.”
The Dunfermline striker was true to his word, pouncing on an opportunity in the Hibs penalty box to drill home a goal which brought the score to 2-2 with less than 10 minutes to go, sparking wild celebrations by Buchanan himself and the ecstatic Pars support.
Unfortunately, that jubilation lasted just a few seconds as Pat Fenlon’s side kicked off, worked the ball forward to Leigh Griffiths who turned John Potter and hit a shot which debutant on-loan Preston North End keeper Iain Turner got a hand to but could not prevent squirming under his body and into his net.
This time, it was the turn of well over 3,000 Hibs fans to hit party mode to acclaim what turned out to be the winner in this rollercoaster five-goal thriller.
The result means Dunfermline have still to win at home this season and are now cast adrift at the bottom of the SPL, four points behind the Easter Road outfit and eight in arrears to Inverness in 10th.
However, Buchanan insists no-one at East End Park is ready to replace last season’s First Division Championship flag with a white one of surrender.
When asked if the game was a bittersweet experience for him, he admitted: ”Yes, my goal doesn’t mean too much to me now that we have suffered another defeat. But we just have to keep plodding on.
“There are loads of boys in that changing-room who will keep fighting and scrapping. We are still creating chances but are maybe not having that wee break of the ball other sides are getting. There are definitely positives we can take from the game.
”Nobody here will be giving up. There is still too long to go to say that because we are at the bottom of the league we are going to stay there.
”Obviously we wanted to win to get off the bottom but I think there is plenty time in the season left for us to pick up victories and climb the table.
”I am a well-known Hibs fan but I would send anybody down if it meant us staying up. At the end of the day, it’s my own career I have to look after.
”I don’t think it is just between ourselves and Hibs though. I am sure there will be twists and turns to come before the end of the season. There could be others dragged into it so we just have to look after ourselves and start picking up victories.”
Continued…