Rovers were looking to avenge the recent cup final defeat to Accies at Falkirk.
A fairly uneventful first half saw Brad Spencer shoot high and a Ross Millen cross low into the box was cleared, but only as far as Scott Brown, but the Rovers’ skipper’s shot also went over the bar.
Both sides were a bit livelier after the break and Rovers took the lead after 50 minutes when Vaughan was upended on the touchline near the tunnel.
Lewis, celebrating his 200th appearance for Rovers, took the free kick himself and his long ball into the 6 yard box was inadvertently directed into the net past Fulton by Lawson as he tried to head for a corner.
Steve Lawson hits the back of his own net
Minutes later Scott Brown took a pass from Lewis Vaughan and, after a few strides, fired in a shot but it went narrowly wide.
Hamilton got back into the game in the 62nd minute when Connor Smith sent over a long free kick to the back post and Dylan McGowan rose unchallenged to head past Jamie MacDonald.
McGown heads past Jamie MacDonald
Sam Stanton sent a low ball across goal and although Aidan Connolly got a touch on it, it wasn’t enough to redirect it past Fulton and it went wide.
With 64 minutes on the clock, Accies took the lead, and again it was from a set piece, Connor Smith with another free kick which was headed clear by Tom Lang but only as far as Steve Lawson who headed it back into the 6 yard box where Benny Ashley-Seal was waiting to blast it past the helpless Jamie MacDonald.
The ball flies past Jamie for the winner
Rovers had a shout for a penalty when Lewis Vaughan went down in the box but the referee said no, Rovers had an even stronger shout soon after when Reghan Tumilty clearly pushed Aidan Connolly to the ground as he made his way into the box but the whistler came to the same decision once again.
Tom Lang left the field with an injury, leaving Rovers to finish the game with just 10 men, with all substitutes having been used, and as the minutes ticked away Accies were also reduced to 10 men when Tiehi was red carded for lashing out with his feet at Ross Millen after the Rovers man had won the ball.
Rovers chances of reaching a top four place appear to be gone with only 6 games left to play.
MacDonald, Dick, Millen, Nolan, Spencer, Connolly, Vaughan, Lang, Stanton, Brown, Ross. Subs: Thomson, McBride, Ngwenya, Akio, Easton, McGill, Young, Masson, Gonçalves
Hamilton Academical
Fulton, O’Reilly, Martin, Ashley-Seal, I Smith, Sparrow, McGowan, C Smith, Tumilty, De Bolle, Lawson. Subs: J Smith, Easton, Zanatta, Stephenson, Tiehi, Winter, Owens, McGinn
All the pictures from Rovers 2-1 defeat to Hamilton.
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- Pre match the match mascots with announcer John MacDonald
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- The mascots with the Referee and Captains
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- Brad Spencer has a shot at goal
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- Dylan McGowan clears from Sam Stanton
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- Scott Brown builds an attack
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- Ryan Nolan out jumps Benny Ashley- Seal
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- Ethan Ross turns Tom Sparrow
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- Tom Lang in a happy mood
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- Ethan Ross fouled
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- It's tight in the Hamilton box
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- Scott Brown in control
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- 50-50 Winners the Hunter girls
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- Lewis Vaughan's free kick goes in off Steve Lawson
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- Steve Lawson hits the back of his own net
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- A big hug for Lewis
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- Well done Lewis
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- Scott Brown builds an attack from the back
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- Reghan Tumilty and Ethan Ross
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- Lewis Vaughan chasing every ball
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- Former Raith favourite Reghan Tumilty
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- Dylan McGowan scores Hamiltons first goal
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- Hamilton take the lead through Benny Ashley-Seal
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- Aidan Connolly on a run into the Hamilton box
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- Lewis goes down in the box
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- Aidan Connolly fouled
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- Waiting for the cross to come over
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- Player sponsor night Tom Lang
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- Player sponsor night Tom Lang
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- Player sponsor night Ethan Ross
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- Player sponsor night Jamie MacDonald
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- Player sponsor night Brad Spencer
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- Player sponsor night Brad Spencer with Scott and Nigel Ford of FDL
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- Player sponsor night Brad Spencer
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- Player sponsor night Dylan Easton
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- The players' kids took on the role of Mascots for the night
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- The players' kids lead out the teams
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- Liam Dick and Ryan Nolan in the air
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- Sam and Lewis close in on Sparrow
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- Sam Stanton gets his head to a cross
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- Brad Spencer shoots
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- Ethan Ross beats Smith to the ball
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- Ethan Ross with Sparrow and Smith in pursuit
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- Aidan Connolly skips a tackle
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- The ref points the way
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- Ashley-Seal and Liam Dick battle for the ball
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- Scott Brown gets the ball
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- Lewis Vaughan challenges McGowan
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- Aidan Connolly, Reghan Tumilty and Lewis Vaughan
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- GOAL...Lewis Vaughan's free kick hits the net off Lawson
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- Lewis celebrates on his 200th appearance
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- Scott Brown and Connor Smith do battle
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- Tom Lang towers over Ashley-Seal
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- Aidan's down and Ethan's about to join him....
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- ...and he's down
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- Sam Stanton tries a shot
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- McGown heads past Jamie MacDonald
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- Ryan Nolan puts in a challenge
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- Tom Lang clears
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- The ball flies past Jamie for the winner
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- Lewis is down but the ref agreed with Tumilty, No penalty
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- Isma gets his head on the ball
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- Dylan Easton shoots from outside the box
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- Kieran Ngwenya takes on Scott Martin
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- Isma tries for a late equaliser but it's too high
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- A disappointed Ross Millen
PHOTOS © TONY FIMISTER & JIM FOY
Ian Murray spoke to RaithTV after tonight’s defeat to Hamilton:
After bouncing back from the disappointment of the SPFL Trust Trophy Final at the weekend win a win over Queen’s Park, Raith Rovers are looking to edge close to the playoff spots on Tuesday evening, when Hamilton are the visitors to Stark’s Park.
Rovers will be looking to build on that 2-0 win against The Spiders, with goals from Tom Lang and Lewis Vaughan meaning Raith are still in with a chance of challenging for a top four place.
Hamilton on the other hand go into the game on the back of a heavy defeat, and despite the high of that final victory, the Accies were brought back down to earth with a bump on Saturday, when they lost 7-0 to Dundee, a defeat which manager John Rankin described as the most humiliating of his career.
Like Rovers, Hamilton are desperate for the three points, as they look to preserve their second tier status.
The Lanarkshire club are currently propping up the Championship table, one point behind Cove Rangers, although they do have two games in hand. However, a gap has opened up between themselves and Arbroath who sit eighth, with the Red Lichties now six points clear of the bottom, having played a game more.
This will be the two teams fifth and final meeting of the campaign, with Raith winning all three league games to date.
The first meeting was back in August, when goals from Dylan Easton and Jamie Gullan sealed a 2-0 away win, and the margin of victory was the same the last time the two came together at Stark’s Park in August, when goals from Easton, Aidan Connolly and Liam Dick earned Ian Murray’s side a 3-1 win.
It was a tighter affair in the last league fixture in January though, when an early Gullan goal was all that separated the sides.
If Rovers can win this one, it’ll be the first time they’ve completed a clean sweep over Hamilton in the league since the 1966/67 season, back in the old Second Division, when teams only played each other twice.
Rovers have a good record in recent seasons in this fixture, with six wins and two draws from the last 10 meetings.
Tuesday’s match referee will be Euan Anderson.
Head-to-Head Record
Raith Rovers wins: 63
Hamilton Academical wins: 61
Draws: 34