Airdrie had to settle for a draw as a youthful Dunfermline side came from two down to shock the Diamonds with a late equaliser.

Having suffered defeat at St Johnstone at the weekend, head coach Aaron Taylor-Sinclair changed personnel and shape back to that which had triumphed at Ross County a week previous, former Par Dom Thomas coming back in to replace Sean McGinty.

With a burgeoning injury list and an eye on their Scottish Cup semi-final at the weekend, Dunfermline promoted a number of youngsters to the first team, but the move worked in Neil Lennon’s favour as his side’s fresh legs forced the late comeback.

Thomas almost made an early impact against his old side as Charlie McArthur headed a fourth-minute Lewis Strapp throw in his direction, but it was just out of reach for the forward.

Dunfermline hit back with a fifth-minute corner which was eventually cleared by Cole McKinnon before Adam Devine prevented Keith Bray getting the finishing touch on a low cross a minute later.

Freddie Turley almost scored a comical own-goal on seven minutes, his sliced clearance leaving Billy Terrell clutching at thin air, but luckily for the defender the bounce took it just over the bar.

Jamie Barjonas followed up with a fizzing strike which went just the wrong side of the post, but five minutes later the Diamonds had the lead.

Chris Mochrie picked out Thomas with an excellent switch of play, and the Airdrie number 15 advanced to the corner of the box, shuffled onto his left foot, and unleashed a perfectly-placed curling strike into the top corner.

Euan Henderson looked set to double the Diamonds’ lead on 26 minutes, but a vital interception in the box prevented the striker getting his shot away.

Craig Ross showed no ill effects from a 27th-minute boot to the face as he got back to cut out a dangerous through-ball intended for Bray three minutes later, and Terrell then did well to reach a Thomas cross before Strapp could nod home.

The visitors introduced some experience five minutes before half time as veteran defender Kyle Bendictus replaced the injured Turley, but it was Airdrie who threatened again as Thomas saw a long-range effort fly over the bar.

Josh Cooper was at full-stretch to reach Nurudeen Abdulai’s 42nd-minute cross, and the striker was unlucky to send his shot just over the bar, with Harry Stone getting an important glove to another dangerous delivery three minutes later.

Airdrie closed out the half with a Barjonas-led passing move which ultimately ended with the ball in Terrell’s hands, and the Diamonds had to settle for a one-goal lead at the break.

There was less than a minute on the clock when Chris Mochrie did find the net after the restart, a Benedictus slip allowing Thomas to nip in and thread a pass to the one-time Pars loanee, who danced across the edge of the box and placed a measured finish beyond Terrell to make it 2-0.

Airdrie continued to push for goals as Thomas saw a 48th-minute chip drift wide before McKinnon was denied by a tight offside flag, and Dunfermline punished their hosts by reducing the deficit on 53 minutes.

The Pars had looked dangerous in the wide areas all night, and Shea Kearney’s run inside from the right allowed him to knock the ball to Lucas Fyfe, who found Cooper in space at the far post to head home.

Bouyed by their goal, the visitors pressed hard for an equaliser, Stone reacting well to pounce on a low near-post cross on 58 minutes before substitute Alfons Amade was alert to head back to Terrell at the other end as Mochrie threatened.

Abdulai sent a tempting ball across the face of goal on 67 minutes, but nobody in a red shirt was able to turn home.

Strapp was dispossessed before he could get his shot away after a neat one-two with Mochrie as play swung from end to end, and Stone made an outstanding point-blank save from Cooper as Fyfe once again found his team-mate with a searching cross.

With five minutes remaining, Ewan McLeod fed Bray down the wing and the former Inverness wide man hit the bye-line and squared for Fyfe to touch home a dramatic equaliser.

Terrell was out sharply to beat Strapp to a long ball forward from substitute Scott Constable, and the Diamonds skipper was unlucky to lose his footing as he tried to turn and shoot in stoppage time.

With the opportunity to make up three points on Morton spurned, the Diamonds will have to settle for moving a point further away from tenth-placed Ross County – although that may feel like scant consolation after a match which felt like it should have been out of sight.

Title-chasing Partick Thistle are Saturday’s visitors as the league campaign moves into its final trio of fixtures.