Sat 5th July / 14:00 / Club Friendly Games 2025 / Falkirk Stadium / away
Falkirk vs Raith Rovers
Report
Raith’s third and final pre-season friendly ahead of the 2025/26 season finished with a loss away to Falkirk on Saturday after losing 4-2 in an unusually fierce friendly match.
Barry Robson changed four players about after his side’s 4-1 win against Alloa four days earlier, with Dylan Easton, Jai Rowe, and Josh Mullin all rotating back into the starting eleven. Paul McMullan also made his first start after recently joining up with the squad, which left Richard Chin, Kai Montagu, and a trialist to drop to the bench. Lewis Gibson missed out with an injury – although Jack Hamilton returned to the bench after a six-month absence through injury.
Falkirk’s team included six ex-Raith players, including Brian Graham, Ethan Ross, and Brad Spencer – a trio which would come back to haunt The Rovers on this occasion.
A fairly even start to the match produced some half-chances for both sides. Lewis Vaughan came close in the 15th minute after he turned his way through the Falkirk defence, but Scott Bain was on hand to deny his effort from close range. The Rovers’ man wouldn’t have to wait much longer for another chance though…
Twenty minutes later, Paul Hanlon picked out Vaughan with a ball over the top of Falkirk’s back line. Bain rushed out to challenge, but Vaughan deftly flicked the ball over Falkirk’s new shot-stopper and into the net from a tight angle – scoring his third in three matches.
Falkirk had a chance of their own to level the match just five minutes later after Ethan Ross got onto the end of a long ball into Raith’s box. The winger capitalised by neatly passing the ball beyond Rae and into the bottom right corner in the 41st minute. Neither side could find the net again before the halftime whistle went, leaving things all square going into the break.
The second half got off to an interesting start after a coming together between Rae and Ross led to a number of protests and shouts for a red card. The Rovers’ keeper escaped with a yellow though, much to the dismay of the home crowd.
Such dismay disappeared soon enough after Graham was put through on goal in the 59th minute. Raith’s offside appeals made little difference as the veteran striker fired the ball past Rae and into the bottom left corner, scoring his first goal for Falkirk as he put them ahead for the first time in the match.
Raith battled to get back level and soon found their reward after Easton’s free kick into the box was practically placed onto the head of Jordan Doherty, who nodded past Bain and into the Falkirk net for a leveller in the 66th minute.
Raith went on to craft a few chances to take the lead in the aftermath of their latest goal, but some misfortune, combined with some good defensive actions, prevented them from doing so.
Brad Spencer popped up to score against his former club in the 76th minute after curling an effort into the top left corner from just inside the box. Raith made some changes soon after, which saw Jack Hamilton’s return to football for the first time this year.
Falkirk sealed the deal just five minutes later after Ross MacIver fired in from Agyeman’s pass across the face of goal, even despite some further offside appeals.
A couple of yellow cards were dished out as the match drew to a close, and the full-time whistle signalled the end of Raith’s pre-season preparations, as far as friendlies were concerned.
Next up, Raith’s season officially gets underway through the League Cup, with an away match to League Two side Elgin City pencilled in for a week’s time.
Written by Hamish Rankine
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