Match Reporter: JOHN LAING

There were goals galore in this bounce game that saw the Hibs recover from being 4-1 down at the interval.
And yet it was Thornton who took the lead in the 8th minute when Garry Thomson jnr raced clear then shot beyond Liam Campbell.

The young Fifers had an opportunity to equalise in the 16th minute but Michael Cunningham put his penalty wide of its intended target following Adam Drummond's handball.

Cunningham atoned for this error three minutes later when he converted Jack Healy's low cross.
A minute later, Nathan Laird's long ball out of defence caught the Hibs' defence napping and Cunningham took full advantage to give his side the lead.

A low shot from Brogan Walls doubled East Fife's advantage in the 28th minute and it was looking grim for the visitors when Cunningham completed his hat-trick ten minutes later when he smashed home the loose ball after Gregor Wright's shot came back off the upright.

Both sides went on to make several substitutions and this appeared to benefit Thornton as ten minutes into the second-half Darren Ormiston pulled one back following clever play with Miller Ferguson.

Five minutes later Ormiston won a penalty after being upended by Ali Wilkinson and Thomson jnr made no mistake from the spot to reduce the deficit to just one.

Adam Mansouri ought to have restored the home side's two goal advantage in the 78th minute but he put the ball wide of an open goal and barely seconds later it was all-square when Ormiston netted his second following good play from Ben Rolland.

East Fife 20's: Campbell, Pitt, Walls, Laird, Newton, Wright, Allan, Cunningham, Mansouri, Healt, Briggs. Subs: Allan, Wilkinson, Mackenzie, Horsburgh, Duffy, Taylor, Huskie, Galloway.

Thornton Hibs: Doran, McNeish, A.Drummond, S.Drummond, Hepburn, Coleman, Garry Thomson jnr, McWatt, Ormiston, Garry Thomson snr, Rolland. Subs: McIntosh, Hand, Shanks, Ferguson, Millar.

Referee: Mr A.Gamble