Birthday boy Ross Millen won the family bragging rights by getting one over on his father, Ayr coach Andy, as Dunfermline thumped United at East End Park.
“I come with my mum to home games anyway,” Millen Jr said.
“Nothing changes: he goes and does his job (on the coaching staff at Ayr) and I go and do mine and after the game we’re back to being father and son again.”
Millen admitted that birthday presents don’t come much better than victories of this sort.
“Everyone was ticking and it all came together today. We can’t come out and say we expect to win by five or six, but this is no surprise to anyone who’s seen the boys training.”
The visitors took the lead as early as the second minute when Luke Johnston misjudged a hopeful punt forward.
The mistake allowed Craig Malcolm in but keeper Ryan Scully was alert and smothered well before Michael Moffat pounced on the rebound to net his seventh of the season.
The goal served only to antagonise the hosts, who settled into the game immediately and looked stronger, fitter and more comfortable on the ball throughout.
The equaliser came in the 20th minute following sustained pressure when Ross Millen’s deep cross was headed wide by Andy Geggan.
Referee George Salmond, however, had spotted an infringement by Adam Hunter on striker Ryan Wallace and pointed to the spot somewhat controversially.
Wallace himself sent the keeper the wrong way to settle the home fans’ nerves.
The Pars were in the lead 10 minutes later when Josh Falkingham squared a short pass to Alex Whittle some 25 yards out and the left back was ecstatic to see his arched drive nestle in the far top corner.
Ayr United old boy Andy Geggan then added a third in the 38th minute when he pounced on Falkingham’s cross to finish with aplomb at the back post.
The busy Falkingham then got the goal his efforts deserved on 40 minutes when Shaun Byrne fed Geggan, who in turn played in the Yorkshireman to fire home into the top corner from the edge of the box.
Jim Jefferies’s men resumed control after the interval and the ball was in the top corner again on 64 minutes. This time Wallace again finished off a 20-pass move from back to front with another rasper from outside the box.