Dunfermline 1 Cove Rangers 2

A dismal Premier Sports Cup campaign for the Pars ended with their third defeat in a row.

Cove were already out of the competition but second half goals from Michael Doyle and Myles Gaffney secured an away win on the League One side's first visit to East End Park.

Young striker Taylor Sutherland climbed off the bench to nab a late goal but it was too little too late with three defeats from Dunfermline’s four league cup games.

The misfiring Pars huffed and puffed without creating too much and there will be plenty for James McPake to think about before the Championship season gets underway next Saturday.

This was effectively a friendly match with no hope of progressing into the next round of the league cup for either side.

Dunfermline had already lost to Forfar and Livingston and McPake said he’d use the tie with Cove as preparation for next week’s curtain raiser.

Rangers had no points after defeats from Livi and Spartans and because they fielded an ineligible player in their 1-1 draw with Forfar, that resulted in punishment and a 3-0 win awarded to the Loons.

With nothing at stake injured striker Chris Kane wasn’t risked, the Pars will hope the rest will mean he’ll be fit and fully firing for the league opener which is back at Livi’s (rubbishly named) the Home of the Set Fare Arena, scene of last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat.

McPake made three changes to the starting line-up, with Rhys Breen, Ewan Otoo and Lewis McCann dropping to the bench and Joe Chalmers, Michael O’Halloran and Craig Wighton coming in.

Low key didn’t do it justice with just a scattering of fans inside the ground at kick-off – the 1,010 total included 33 away supporters.

It was no great surprise, it wasn’t included in the season ticket and had a pre-season friendly feel about it with just two stands open – roadworks dotted around the city and traffic lights stuck on red wouldn’t have helped either.

And there was little to excite those who did bother to turn up with neither goalie being seriously tested in a tepid first 45 minutes.

A typical head down and run from O’Halloran almost ended in a brilliant goal, as he weaved his way to the very edge of the six yard box but was crowded out before he could get a shot away.

Shortly afterwards Kieran Ngwenya ran on to a loose ball, after a David Wotherspoon effort was blocked, and his sweetly struck drive whistled just over the bar.

Mostly though, Dunfermline played in front of Cove, they didn’t really get in behind the League One side, with passes going sideways and back with regular monotony.

Deniz Mehmet was called into action in the 11th minute, racing off his line to smother a through ball from Doyle before Rangers striker Gaffney could reach it, but most of the traffic was towards the away goal.

It took the Pars 20 minutes to force a corner but their set-piece didn’t carry much threat either.

Sam Fisher limped out of the action on the half hour mark – it looked like a muscle pull – to be replaced by Breen. Hopefully his withdrawal was just a precaution, there was no point taking a risk when the result didn’t really matter.

Wotherspoon opened his box of tricks, with clever feints and dummies to try and prise the Cove defence open, and there was a brief flurry before half time.

O’Halloran met Aaron Comrie’s cross from the right but his downward header lacked the power to beat Hungarian goalie Balint Demus.

Kane Ritchie-Hosler then poked a ball through for Wighton but he was stretching and couldn’t direct it past the Cove stopper.

Dunfermline had a chance in the 50th minute when Hosler forced Ryan Harrington into a half-hit back pass, Wighton latched onto it but couldn’t swivel and get the ball past Demus.

Wotherspoon tried a quick free kick, after Hosler was upended just outside the box, and slipped it to O’Halloran but his fierce drive was blocked.

Cove went ahead in the 58th minute after Ngwenya was penalised for a foul.

The impressive Declan Glass whipped in a devilish delivery from the right that Mehmet got fists to but the ball fell kindly for Doyle to guide a low shot into the bottom corner.

McPake didn’t hesitate, the Pars boss bringing on Sutherland, McCann and Otoo for Wighton, O’Halloran and Chalmers and there was a bit more energy and purpose in their play.

In the 72nd minute Chris Hamilton latched on to a loose pass and charged forward before slipping the ball right to the unmarked McCann.

His first time effort beat the goalie but covering defender Finlay Murray was on hand to stop the ball finding the net.

Tod had a header saved – Demus made it look harder than it was – and McCann put in a great cross from the right but Sutherland couldn’t get a decisive touch at the front post.

A deflected effort from Sutherland looked to be rolling into the net but Murray was there again to rescue Rangers.

In the 84th minute Glass found Gaffney who raced through the middle and lifted the ball beyond Mehmet.

That was the cue for many Pars fans to leave and they missed a fine finish from Sutherland, who swivelled in the box and guided the ball into the right of the keeper’s net with a couple of minutes left.

Despite a late flurry, it was merely a consolation goal.