David Moyo was the hero as Hamilton Accies twice came back to snatch what could be a vital point against Dunfermline at New Douglas Park.
Moyo cancelled out Coll Donaldson's superb early opener in the first half with a controversial header, and nodded in from a Kieran MacDonald corner to level Steven Lawless' penalty.
That leaves the gap between the sides at seven points, meaning Dunfermline are still bottom and Accies can still look at the teams above them rather than having serious concerns - but they can't keep living dangerously like that.
Dunfermline may feel aggrieved at only taking a point, and will feel they should have had a penalty in first-half stoppage time, while Moyo's leveller was one that might not always have been allowed to stand.
Coll Donaldson's superb early opener was cancelled out by David Moyo's sixth goal of the season in a first half that otherwise didn't have much going on, though Stevie Lawless crashed a shot off the bar as Dunfermline tried to stretch their lead.
Hamilton started the second half well, but struggled to find a way past the Dunfermline defence.
The Pars soaked that up and when they raced up the other end, a tangle of legs between Ellis Brown and Josh Edwards inside the box earned them a penalty, which former Motherwell star Steven Lawless smashed into the net.
It looked like the points were heading to Fife, but Moyo bagged his seventh of the season from a Kieran MacDonald corner, and if anything Accies probably should have taken all three points in the end.
Hamilton head coach Stuart Taylor made two changes to the side that lost at Kilmarnock last weekend. Brown made his first start, in place of Andy Ryan, while Jamie Hamilton came in for Reegan Mimnaugh.
Dunfermline boss John Hughes made just one change to the line-up that lost 1-0 against Arbroath last time out, with Liam Polworth in for Graham Dorrans.
The game started slowly but Dunfermline took the lead inside five minutes when Coll Donaldson picked up possession just outside the box and arrowed a fine shot into the top right corner.
Hamilton were given a chance to level in 14 minutes when Brown appeared to have been decked inside the box, but referee Greg Aitken gave a free kick right on the edge. However, Josh Mullin's effort was blocked by the wall.
Dunfermline nearly doubled their lead in 17 minutes when Lawless picked up a loose ball and made his way into the box, but smacked his shot off the bar.
Hamilton equalised in 25 minutes in controversial circumstances, as keeper Jakub Stolarczyk rose to collect a Kai Kennedy cross, but Moyo beat him to it to head into the net.
It looked like the keeper's ball and the Accies fans waited with baited breath for a whistle, but it never came.
There was further controversy inside first-half stoppage time when Josh Edwards went down under a challenge by Brown, but referee Aitken booked the Pars star for simulation.
Dunfermline did get their penalty seven minutes into the second half though and it was a tangle between the same players, with Edwards this time winning the award.
Lawless stepped up and rammed the spot-kick into the bottom left corner.
Dunfermline tried to turn the screw and should have stretched their lead in 61 minutes when Polworth's cross from the left was headed by Efe Ambrose, but Fulton denied him with a superb diving save to claw it out of the right corner.
Hamilton dragged themselves back into the game and levelled again in 77 minutes when Kieran MacDonald's corner from the left was headed in by Moyo for his second of the game.
Accies could have pinched the points in 84 minutes but sub Andy Ryan's looping header crashed off the bar.
HAMILTON: Fulton, Hamilton, Popescu, O'Reilly, MacDonald, Lawson, Mullin (Ryan, 65), Spence, Brown (Winter, 65), Kennedy (L. Smith, 65), Moyo.
Subs (not used): J. Smith (GK), Easton, Hughes, Mimnaugh, Shiels.
Booked: Moyo (56), Popescu (70)
DUNFERMLINE: Stolarczyk, Comrie, Donaldson, Ambrose, Edwards, Polworth, Pybus (McCann, 84), Chalmers, Dow (Thomas, 84), Lawless, O'Hara.
Subs (not used): Alexander (GK), Martin, Todorov, Breen, Allan, Todd, Cole.
Booked: Edwards (45+1), Dow (54)
Referee: Greg Aitken.
Attendance: 1369.
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