Tue 9th April / 19:45 / Championship 23/24 / Stark's Park / home
Raith Rovers vs Airdrieonians
Line Up
Report
Diamond display in The Lang Toun
Raith Rovers continued their unsuccessful streak against Airdrie after losing 3-1 in an end-to-end affair.
Ian Murray stuck with the same starting line-up that managed to beat Ayr 2-1 just 4 days earlier, with the only difference in the team lines being Euan Murray returning to the bench after his knock against Dundee United a few weeks prior.
Kick Off
Both teams started the match slowly, with the game getting underway in a somewhat apprehensive manner. In the opening 20, both teams enjoyed some touches of the ball in the opposition box, but couldn’t create anything more apart from some un-successful crosses and a few blocked shots. Hamilton did manage to get on the end of a ball to the back post, but his effort remained tame as his header floated into the arms of Airdrie keeper Robbie Hemfrey.
Signs of frustration became apparent in the Raith home end, after Airdrie wide-man Adam Frizzel was allowed to run uncontested towards the Raith penalty area. With a sight on goal, Frizzel spectacularly placed a shot into the far-right side of the Raith goal with the outside of his boot, giving Dabrowski no chance as the effort flew in from the edge of the box. Raith found themselves a goal behind with just over 25 minutes played.
Things only got worse for the home fans, with Frizzel again taking advantage of the time and space left to him. After a series of missed headers, Frizzel collected the ball 40 yards out and drove straight towards the Raith goal. Cutting inside into a gap left by the home team, Frizzel avoided any challenge and once again struck in an effort from the edge of the box, firing the ball hard a low into the bottom right corner. 2 goals in 5 minutes meant that Raith now had a mountain to climb.
Raith did all they could as they tried to lessen the deficit before halftime, with a text-book Easton effort parried away and an unlucky Hamilton miss-kick letting Airdrie off from a mistake. No luck was to be found before halftime, however.
Half Time
The teams returned with some bold choices from Ian Murray leading to a triple change for Raith in the halftime interval. Rudden replaced Hamilton, whilst Smith and Turner came on for midfielders Matthews and Byrne.
Raith restarted the match a seemingly re-vitalised team, as they went onto dominate the next 20 minutes of play. Chance after chance came for the home team, but they still could not find the net. Airdrie didn’t let off though, and remained a threat on the break.
Josh Mullin entered the fray on the hour mark and didn’t take long at all to make an impact. Some good play in the middle of the park saw the ball worked along to Mullin who, 30 yards out, took a first-time shot on goal. Rovers fans watched as the ball skipped off the surface and through a line of bodies, before ending up in the bottom right corner of the Airdrie goal. Raith had given themselves a lifeline just before the 70th minute.
Raith kept their efforts up and came so close to putting game back to level terms when some great football saw Aidan Connolly end up with the ball just 8 yards out. With players onrushing, Connolly lashed a shot goal bound which was painstakingly denied by the inside of the post. The attack withered away, and Airdrie found themselves with a goal kick. Football is often described as a game of slim margins, and what followed moments later acts as a perfect example…
Having retained their lead through the difference of a few millimetres, Airdrie’s Lewis McGregor went onto pick up the ball from the freekick at the halfway line, before racing through the Raith defence towards goal. With Rovers defenders chasing him down, McGregor continued his run towards goal before blasting the ball into the top left corner from a tight angle. Dabrowski, for the third time of the evening, was given absolutely no chance as Airdrie re-instated their 2-goal lead with 10 minutes to go.
Kyle Turner tried his best to give the home side a glimmer of hope late on, as he danced through player after player. Failing to get a shot away however, Turner was disposed just yards from goal after his mesmerising run. It wasn’t long after that the fulltime whistle sounded, leaving Raith winless against their seasons bogey team.
Full Time
4 points adrift of the summit of the Championship with 4 games to play, Raith will be needing some favours if they are to win the league and get promoted as champions. Anything other than a loss on this Saturday’s home match against Partick however will see Raith secured second place for the season.