Match Preview: East Fife (Home)

Raith Rovers  V  East Fife Saturday 18th August 2018   Stark’s Park  Kick off: 3.00pm

Admission Information:

Adult – £15
Parent & Child – £20*
Under 16 / Over 65 / Disabled – £8*
Student – £10*

*Concession tickets must be purchased at the ticket office before entering the turnstiles. Valid proof of status/ID will be required.

East Fife supporters will be housed in the McDermid Stand. The ticket pod for away support will be open from 2pm. Please ensure you have valid proof of status/I.D. Adults pay at the turnstiles.

The Raith Suite will not be open as a bar due to hospitality.

There will be no traffic management or road closures in place before or after the game so please take care on approach to the stadium.

Match Preview: 

Raith Rovers head into the first Fife derby of the league season this Saturday, against an East Fife side who are still looking for their first points this term.

Barry Smith’s men go into the game on the back of two straight wins against Stenhousemuir and the Aberdeen development side, and while the Methil men have lost their first two league matches, they did defeat Cowdenbeath 3-1 in a Challenge Cup tie in midweek.

Rovers have enjoyed an almost blemish-free record in this fixture down the years, with 11 wins and one draw from the last 12 meetings between the sides, with their last defeat coming back in March 1988.

It was four straight wins for Rovers last season, with the first in August the most straightforward, with goals from Bobby Barr, Liam Buchanan, Greig Spence and a Lewis Vaughan double securing a 5-0 win at Bayview.

The next meeting was far tighter, with Vaughan again on the scoresheet as Rovers won 1-0.

The most entertaining of the four was the New Year encounter, in a back-and-forth encounter which Raith eventually won 3-2, thanks to goals from Scott Robertson, Buchanan and Dario Zanatta.

The clean sweep was completed in March, when Barr and Iain Davidson secured a 2-0 victory.

After a sixth placed finish last season, Darren Young has added a mixture of experience and youth to his side, as he looks to push for the playoffs.

Scott Agnew has a fine scoring record against Raith down the years, and he could take his place in a new look midfield which could also contain fellow new signings, Scott McBride, Ross Davidson and Liam Watt.

Darryll Meggatt and Ross Dunlop were added from Alloa Athletic and Stenhousemuir respectively, as the Bayview side look to keep a tighter defence than last term, and at the other end of the park, they’ll look to ex-Raith striker Jonny Court, and Anton Dowds for goals, with the latter joining East Fife after leaving Heriot Watt.

Saturday’s match referee will be Craig Napier.

Head-To-Head Home League Record Versus East Fife:

Raith Rovers Wins: 15 | East Fife Wins: 11 | Draws: 8

Raith Rovers Goals: 57 | East Fife Goals: 46

Current Form:

Raith Rovers: D-L-L-D-W-W

East Fife: L-D-L-L-L-W

Top Goal Scorers:

Raith Rovers: Kevin Nisbet 4 | East Fife: Anton Dowds 2

Match Odds:

Raith Rovers: 8/13 | East Fife: 22/5 | Draw: 31/10

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