Match Preview: Alloa (Away)

Raith Rovers  V  Alloa Athletic  Saturday 16th August  Recreation Park, Alloa  Kick off: 3.00pm

 Admission Prices:

Adult £16

Senior Citizens (Over 65)   £8

Child/Concession (Under 16)  £8

Preview:

Raith Rovers head to Recreation Park to face Alloa Athletic on Saturday, looking to build on last weekend’s promising 3-1 home win over Dumbarton.

Second-half goals from Paul Watson, Ryan Conroy and Christian Nadé, meant that Raith ended the first round of fixtures at the summit of the Championship table, a position that  they’ll be hoping to consolidate against Barry Smith’s side.

Alloa will be hoping to get their first points on the board, after a 2-0 defeat at Queen of the South on the opening day. The scoreline only tells part of the story however, with Queens’ 2-0 half-time lead slightly flattering, after Alloa started the match brightly. Like Raith, the Wasps have brought in several new faces over the summer, with Barry Smith concentrating predominantly on refreshing his forward options, as well as bringing in some attack minded midfielders.

Greig Spence is obviously well known to the Raith fans after two years at Stark’s Park, and he could be partnered up-front with ex-Dunfermline and East Fife forward, Liam Buchanan, or former Stirling Albion striker, David Weatherston. Goalkeeper John Gibson has been signed from Dundee, after the talented Scott Bain left the Rec’ during the summer, to head in the opposite direction. Left-back Mark Docherty has signed up after leaving Stranraer, while former Motherwell midfielders, Adam Ashgar and Steven Hetherington, have both been reunited by Barry Smith.

While a Callum Booth free-kick was enough to hand Raith the victory the last time the two sides met at this venue in March, Recreation Park has been far from a happy-hunting ground for the Kirkcaldy club recently. That 1-0 win was Rovers first in eight visits, a run that went all the way back to April 2007. However, in the last ten league meetings between the two teams, Rovers have won five and lost only twice.

Saturday’s match referee will be Alan Muir.

What the Manager Said:

Raith Rovers versus Dumbarton games tend to be goal-laden affairs, and Saturday was no exception, with Raith eventually emerging with a 3-1 victory. While Grant Murray felt the first-half was tight, he thought that his side were worthy winners, after a dominant second-half showing,

“We had a few high-scoring games between ourselves and Dumbarton last season, and we knew that they were the second highest scorer’s in the division last year, so we very aware of that going into the game. I didn’t think there was a lot in it in that first-half. Dumbarton had a couple of chances, but I felt we came into the game once we got to grip with things, and we started to look a lot livelier. It was important to get the opener, and once we did, I thought we ended up with a reasonably convincing win.”

“We said at half-time, that in tight games, you really have to be clinical when a chance comes your way, and punish the opposition. Thankfully we did that on Saturday, when Paul Watson was there, reacting to a ball that had been won in the box. Once he stuck that away you could see the difference it made and the lift it gave us in terms of confidence.”

“Ryan Conroy’s goal put us two up, and what a finish it was. We were well aware of what he can do with set-pieces, because he did it often enough while playing with Dundee. At that point, I thought the game opened up a wee bit, as Dumbarton really had to go for it, but then Christian Nadé got on the end of a good ball from Mark Stewart, and it was a cool finish from the big man.”

“Even after that, I felt we maybe could have had a fourth, with the amount of chances we’d created. We were happy with the three goals though, and we were disappointed about the one we conceded right at the death, when they were pushing a lot of bodies forward, but overall we’re pleased. Every team wants to get off to a good start, and thankfully we did, with a god win in front of our own fans.”

There’s been big changes to the playing staff over the summer, with several players departing, and seven new arrivals coming in. Christian Nadé already appears to be a big favourite with the fans, but Grant is happy with how everyone has bedded in,

“We’ve a nucleus of new-faces now, with seven new players coming into the club over the summer. That’s a big turnover, but we had to react to the players who departed. We feel we’ve added some good quality players to the quality we also re-signed, and I think they’ve slotted in well. We’ve had some injuries and niggles over the pre-season, and at this moment in time, we’re missing Dougie Hill and Craig Barr, which is unfortunate.”

“Of the guys we’ve brought in, we’re pretty familiar with what they can all do. I’ve known Kevin Cuthbert since he was a fairly young player coming through, but he’s now a very experienced goalkeeper. We were a bit unsure about how that position was going to look at the start of the season, in regards to David McGurn’s injury, but Kevin’s come in and provided some good competition.”

“It’s the same with the other players who have come in, they’re all very capable, and adding something to the side. Craig Barr is still out, but Christian Nadé, Ross Perry, Rory McKeown, Ryan Conroy, Martin Scott and Mark Stewart have all come straight into the side and contributed, which is really encouraging.”

Rovers will be up against a couple of old-faces on Saturday, with potential starting places in the Alloa line-up for Stephen Simmons and Greig Spence, and while the home side lost their opener against Queens’, Murray feels you can’t read too much into the result,

“This is always a very competitive league, but with the addition of the Hearts, Hibs and Rangers, everyone is trying to give themselves a wee bit of a boost, and Alloa have added a few players over the pre-season. It looks like they were a wee bit unfortunate to find themselves behind on Saturday against Queen of the South, because they created a good few chances before Queens’ took the lead. That they’re getting players in goal scoring positions isn’t a surprise, when you look at who they’ve brought in. Of course, we’re very familiar with Greig Spence, and alongside him, they’ve brought in Liam Buchanan, a guy whose got experience of playing in the top tier. We’re aware that it’s a strike force that we’ll need to be prepared for come Saturday.”

Head-to-Head League Record at Alloa:

Alloa Athletic wins: 17 | Raith Rovers wins: 21 | Draws: 6

Alloa Athletic goals: 72 | Raith Rovers goals: 82

Top Goalscorers in all Competitions:

Alloa Athletic: Greig Spence 4

Raith Rovers: Ryan Conroy 2 | Calum Elliot 2 | Chritian Nade 1 | Paul Watson 1

Match Odds:

Alloa Athletic: 19/10 | Raith Rovers: 5/4 | Draw: 12/5

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