Airdrieonians' hopes of escaping relegation from Scottish League One were boosted after they comfortably beat an Ayr United side that finished the game with nine men.
Craig Barr opened the scoring before Ayr's Adam Hunter was given his marching orders before the break.
Liam Watt added a second and, with less than a quarter of the game left, Kyle McAusland was dismissed for a bad foul that gave the hosts the chance to finish off the game from the penalty spot, with Keigan Parker netting from 12 yards.
With East Fife losing to Rangers, Arbroath took the opportunity to close the gap with a 4-2 at Brechin City a brace from Bobby Linn firing the league's bottom side to a crucial win.
Dunfermline's grip on second place was loosened by a 3-1 defeat at fellow playoff challengers Stranraer thanks to Martin Grehan's penalty and two goals from David McKenna.
Stenhousemuir continued their positive start under new manager Scott Booth with a 4-1 win over fellow midtable side Forfar, with Darren Smith bagging a brace.
Results in full: Airdrieonians 3-0 Ayr, Brechin 2-4 Arbroath, East Fife 0-1 Rangers, Stenhousemuir 4-1 Forfar, Stranraer 3-1 Dunfermline
Chris O'Keefe
