The visitors had to survive a pair of early scares with keeper Deniz Mehmet tipping a Josh Allen header onto the bar before Nikolay Todorov also headed against the woodwork.
Edwards grabbed the opener after a neat pass from Lewis McCann and Dunfermline doubled their advantage midway through the second half through Todd’s finish.
Airdrie continued to press with Mehmet tipping a header from Calum Gallagher over the bar then saving point-blank from Callum Fordyce.
The Diamonds finally made their breakthrough deep into injury time when Gallagher slotted home a consolation from the penalty spot.
Chris Hamilton had already seen one header bounce off the crossbar and over before he turned in Paul Allan’s corner to open the scoring in the 41st minute.
The hosts then doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time when Chris Kane scored his first goal for the club, robbing Ayr skipper Sean McGinty before finishing from inside the box.
Ayr saw Anton Dowds’ effort deflected narrowly wide at the start of the second half but rarely looked like getting back into the game.
The hosts had started brightly at East End Park with Craig Wighton grabbing an eighth-minute opener from a Joe Chalmers corner.
Lewis McCann crashed a 25-yard effort against the crossbar before he doubled Dunfermline’s lead after 27 minutes by converting a Josh Edwards cross.
Alex Jakubiak missed two good chances for the hosts in the second half before Morton rallied with both Cameron Blues and Robbie Muirhead coming close.
Robbie Crawford’s first-time shot reduced the deficit eight minutes from time, but O’Halloran’s late finish finally sealed victory for the hosts.
Easton opened the scoring after 24 minutes when Sam Stanton found him on the edge of the box.
The pair combined again two minutes later with Easton producing another clinical finish for second-placed Rovers.
Anton Dowds halved the deficit five minutes after the break, but Ayr have now lost five of their seven league games.
That left Rovers five points clear of the Terrors, who have a game in hand, at the top of the table.
Easton scored his ninth goal of the season after 59 minutes when he weaved his way around a trio of defenders and curled into the top corner of the net.
Chris Mochrie came closest to finding the net for United but was denied by a superb full-length save from Kevin Dabrowski.
Murray nodded home a Kyle Turner free-kick after 33 minutes at Firhill, stunning Thistle after a confident start by the home side.
Kerr McInroy, Scott Robinson and Brian Graham had all forced saves from goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski in the early stages.
Aidan Connolly threatened a second for Raith after the break when he shot over but Partick almost grabbed a late equaliser when Graham’s header clipped the top of the bar.
Darragh O’Connor and Jack Baird scored twice as Morton extend their unbeaten league run to 10 matches.
Morton took a 10th-minute lead when Robbie Muirhead’s ball across goal was turned in by O’Connor for his first goal of the season.
Baird added a second in the 34th minute, scoring from the rebound after goalkeeper Deniz Mehmet denied George Oakley.
O’Connor doubled his tally in the 51st minute with a close-range finish before Baird followed suit six minutes later.
Michael Garrity curled in a fifth with 15 minutes left as the hosts were left winless in seven games and just a point above the bottom two.
Both sides went into the game in dismal form, with the hosts having lost six in succession while Morton had not claimed a point from their last four.
The visitors grabbed the lead in the 37th minute when Lewis McGrattan fired home after a neat through-ball from Jack Bearne, and the same player came close to doubling his tally early in the second half.
Arbroath hauled level just past the hour mark when David Gold ran into the box and shot past Morton keeper Ryan Mullen.
But Morton seized the points in the 79th minute when Oakley capitalised on a long throw to strike the winner and give his side only their third win of the season to date.
Robbie Muirhead’s curling effort was well blocked by Ayr captain Sean McGinty for a corner and Tyler French headed just over from close range while at the other end, Logan Chalmers was twice denied by keeper Jamie MacDonald.
MacDonald got down low to save efforts from Chalmers and Roy Syla in the second half before turning Jamie Murphy’s long-range strike onto the bar, with Chalmers putting the rebound wide.
Ayr’s pressure came to nothing, though, as Morton instead snatched the points when former Kilmarnock man Oakley met Alan Power’s free-kick to head home.
Morton made a bright start and were two goals ahead after 36 minutes thanks to Oakley’s first-half double.
United reduced the deficit almost immediately through Kai Fotheringham’s header and Louis Moult equalised for the hosts from close range just before half-time.
Dundee United, who remain second in the table, had Craig Sibbald sent off in the 88th minute and were made to pay as Oakley completed his treble.
In a first half of few clear-cut chances, Morton’s Kirk Broadfoot twice went close in the early stages, firing just wide after six minutes and then over the crossbar four minutes later.
The visitors rallied as the half wore on with Ewan Otoo shooting over five minutes before the break, seconds before Chris Kane forced keeper Ryan Mullen into a save with a header.
Kane Ritchie-Hosler called upon Mullen once again, just after the restart and the Pars finally got their reward – after 55 minutes – when Welch-Hayes headed home following a short corner worked between Kane and Ritchie-Hosler.
The hosts were handed an opportunity to level when Otoo fouled substitute Jai Quitongo inside the penalty area, but Robbie Muirhead’s 84th-minute spot-kick was saved by Mehmet.
Ian Murray’s side are now six points behind leaders Dundee United with three games left having won just one of their last five matches.
It could have been worse for Raith as Blair Alston saw his free-kick hit the crossbar deep into stoppage time moments after coming on as a substitute.
Before that, the best chance of the game arrived on the half-hour mark when Partick goalkeeper David Mitchell produced a fantastic save to keep out Zak Rudden’s close-range header.
Mitchell also saved from Sam Stanton and Dylan Easton while Aidan Fitzpatrick, Zander Mackenzie, Brian Graham and Harry Milne tested Raith keeper Kevin Dabrowski.
Accies boss John Rankin claimed on Saturday that a fan had been “derogatory towards my wife and my children” at a time when the team trailed Alloa 3-0 on aggregate in their Championship play-off semi-final second leg, before Hamilton fought back to win 5-3 over the two legs.
Maitland issued a statement ahead of Wednesday’s play-off final first leg away to Lanarkshire rivals Airdrie in which he stressed that anyone who “crosses the line of acceptability” with their language is not welcome to attend matches.
“In my role as the chairman of the club, I feel the highs and lows of all Accies supporters and fully understand the frustrations of the last few seasons when we haven’t reached the standards expected from our club,” said Maitland.
“I also understand the need on occasions to vent that frustration – however there is a line where the expression of that frustration becomes intolerable and totally unacceptable, and we reached that on Saturday afternoon.
“Several supporters shouted vile abusive comments to our management team and directors that were disgusting and unacceptable in any environment at any time, never mind a football match where families and young kids are present.
“We are working to identify those responsible for this hate crime and these so-called supporters will receive the banning order they deserve from all football matches.
“I have consistently tried to engage with unhappy supporters, even in difficult times, to listen to their concerns and provide a balanced and fair view whenever possible but there is now a section of fans who are no longer worthy of any exchange of views.
“We all feel the passion of being a supporter and have experienced days when you understandably express your frustrations or disappointment towards players, management, and directors when things are going horribly wrong but there must be a control mechanism in place to stop that from crossing the line of acceptability.
“If you personally are unable to control that emotion or feel the need to be overtly abusive, then please don’t come to the games – you’re not welcome.”
Accies finished second bottom of the cinch Championship and must defeat League One promotion hopefuls Airdrie over two legs to retain their second-tier status.
Nick McAllister gave the Honest Men a 15th-minute lead, following up after Mark McKenzie’s shot was blocked.
Brian Graham, the Championship’s leading scorer, levelled just past the half-hour mark but Oldham loanee Willoughby scored twice late in the first half to earn a 3-1 interval lead.
Thistle roared back in the second half to level again through Tomi Adeloye and Harry Milne, the latter with a cross that found its way straight in.
But McHugh joined Willoughby in scoring his first Ayr goal to settle a topsy-turvy win.
The Partick loanee opened the scoring at Excelsior Stadium with just eight minutes on the clock, although the sides would go in level at the break as Cammy Ballantyne finished a free-flowing move.
Dowds tapped in his second of the afternoon from close-range having been played in by Jamie Murphy and completed his hat-trick by finishing off a quick free-kick.
That proved enough to secure the points for the Honest Men, although Airdrie did pull another back late on through Craig Watson’s effort.
Lewis McCann thought he had given Dunfermline the lead after 17 minutes but his strike was ruled out for offside and the visitors lost Chris Hamilton and McCann to injury in the first half, which proved costly as they fell behind before the break.
Jay Bird opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time with a low finish to cap an impressive solo effort.
Mark Stowe went close to doubling the hosts’ lead in the second-half before Bird was sent off for two bookable offences, with Craig Wighton heading in a late leveller.
Caley – who had lost two of their previous three games – made a bright start as Max Anderson and Cameron Harper both had efforts on goal blocked before David Wotherspoon also went close.
Morton threatened when Steven Boyd’s 20-yard effort curled over the crossbar.
Inverness went close again early in the second half when Billy Mckay’s angled shot was saved by Ryan Mullen before Charlie Gilmour fired over.
Morton forward Robbie Muirhead sent his effort just wide and in stoppage-time, Caley substitute David Carson sliced a shot off target as both sides had to settle for a draw.
Cameron Harper’s brilliant 25-yard free-kick midway through the first half proved the difference as Duncan Ferguson’s men built on their win over Arbroath last time out to move two points above Queen’s Park.
The visitors created several decent openings to increase their lead but Billy Mckay and Samson Lawal were unable to find a way past Calum Ferrie.
However, Queen’s Park could not take advantage at the other end, with Jack Turner and Cillian Sheridan being denied by Caley Thistle keeper Mark Ridgers.
The visitors needed only two minutes to take the lead through Billy McKay, and Sean McAllister’s free-kick doubled the lead in the 34th minute.
Morton’s Robbie Crawford sent a good chance narrowly wide moments later, and there was a flash point in the Inverness box at the end of the half, with Thistle’s Wallace Duffy and James Carragher booked along with Morton’s Tyler French.
McKay got his head on the end of Cammy Kerr’s second-half free-kick, but he was denied a second by Jamie MacDonald.
As a result of the win, Inverness are now just a point behind eighth-placed Queen’s Park.
The Red Lichties – who remain bottom, six points adrift of Inverness with a game in hand – have only won one of their last 17 league games, the 2-1 success away to Caley Thistle in mid-December.
Chances were at a premium in the first half, with David Gold and Innes Murray going closest for Arbroath, while Inverness saw Cammy Kerr and Harper denied.
The hosts took the lead in the 82nd minute thanks to Adam Mackinnon’s close-range effort, but Harper struck in the fourth minute of added time to steal a vital point for Inverness.
