Report

Raith Rovers recovered the Fife derby bragging rights on Saturday, after beating Dunfermline 2 -0 at Starks Park.  

Neill Collins made five changes to his starting lineup as he looked to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Falkirk. Scott Brown and Fankaty Dabo had to leave the field through injury against Falkirk, meaning they both missed out on this occasion. Freeman and Connolly got their first starts in over two months, whilst Byrne, Stevenson, and Jamieson all rotated into the starting 11.  

Dunfermline got the match underway in front of an electric Starks Park, but Raith had a better start to the match after Jamieson’s shot in the first minute was deflected out for a corner.  

Dunfermline grew into the match, and would have opened the scoring around 20 minutes in – if it wasn’t for a superb double-save from Kevin Dabrowski.  

As halftime approached, a goalless first half was looking likely. With five minutes to go however, Dylan Easton was bundled to the ground just a few yards outside the penalty area. Free kick Rovers.  

Easton stepped up to take the set-piece, whilst Dunfermline readied a five-man wall as they looked to make his job difficult. The Raith midfielder went un-phased though, curling his effort over the wall and into the top left portion of the Dunfermline goal. With just 5 minutes remaining of the first half, Raith had the lead.  

Halftime came and went, and the teams re-appeared unchanged for the second half.  

Raith Rovers again started the half strong, and continued to make life difficult for Dunfermline as they kept the pressure up.  

Jack Hamilton went down injured around 20 minutes into the second half, but did well to return to the field after it looked like a substitution was inevitable. The striker played on for a few minutes after, but was eventually replaced by Cody David.  

Aidan Connolly came close after he collected a loose ball in Dunfermline’s box. His two efforts on goal were blocked at point-blank range though. Raith would have to wait a little while longer for their second.  

A recycled set-piece in the 73rd minute gave Hanlon a chance to get a shot on goal, but the defender couldn’t catch the shot cleanly. However, the ball went on to land at the feet of Cody David, who smartly fired the ball through the keepers’ legs from close range – scoring his first goal for the club and netting Raith’s second of the match. 

Another injury hit the team after Dylan Easton went down in the 77th minute un-challenged. With the stretcher team on standby, Easton was helped off the pitch as he tried to jog it off. The midfielder tried to return, but again went down, and was substituted for Lewis Gibson shortly after.  

David Wotherspoon had a huge chance for Dunfermline late on, but his free header from close range went wide of the Raith goal.  

Raith’s defence held strong, and the final whistle signified the end of a confident second half performance. Three points, two goals, a clean-sheet and a Derby win; a successful day at the office for Raith Rovers.  

The result means Raith are still placed 7th in the league, but they have now created a gap to the relegation play-off place. The next league match comes this Friday, where Raith travel to Hampden for a televised fixture against 5th placed Queens Park.  

Photos