The last thing Jim Leishman said during an interview at half-time yesterday was this: "Monday could be it, but we're not looking at it that way.

This won't be the final game. I've got Dunfermline v Falkirk in my diary for Wednesday."

It would be cruel if this was the final act of Dunfermline Athletic in its current form, a game their manager Jim Jefferies said they "threw away" from positions of 2-0 and 3-1 up. That outcome would also further hide its significance for Dumbarton, whose heroic victory here keeps their drive to avoid a relegation play-off in gear.

The new light Leishman could shed was that his steering group, whose aim it had been to find investment to buy out majority shareholder Gavin Masterton had retired from that enterprise. The tax bill that led HMRC to seek a winding-up order which kicks in at 5pm tomorrow will be paid by Masterton, or not at all. In that case, liquidation or administration are the only possible outcomes.

"We're at the end of the road and we've handed back to Gavin," said Leishman. "We had money available, people wanting to invest for the short-term viability of Dunfermline Athletic. We had enough money to pay the income tax bill to HMRC on Monday. But the steering group was in it for the long-term sustainability of the football club and that's where people were nervous.

"We've been dealing with the scenario where it was either sustainability or liquidation but the possibility of administration cropped up on Friday. We're waiting to find out what route Gavin wants to go down. He might have another investor, we don't know."

On the pitch, Ryan Wallace and Andrew Barrowman scored either side of the break to give Dunfermline the advantage. Wallace raced on to an Andy Geggan through ball, skipped inside Andy Graham's tackle and tucked his shot past Stephen Grindlay. Barrowman, meanwhile, fired across the keeper after a one-two with Wallace.

Steven McDougal headed in off the underside of the bar for Dumbarton before Barrowman restored the hosts' two-goal advantage after Wallace rounded Grindlay and realised his partner had the better angle.

Then Dumbarton went into overdrive. Chris Turner hammered a 25-yard volley past Paul Gallacher; Scott Agnew arrived late to side-foot a cut-back by Jim Lister into the bottom corner; and finally a thrilling break from box to box ended with Mark Gilhaney playing in McDougal, a former Dunfermline player, who supplied a composed finish.

All that drama and all the questions afterwards were about other matters. The answers come tomorrow.