Report

It’s not often you see the very last kick of the season produce a goal, but that’s exactly what happened at Starks Park on Friday night after Raith dispatched Ross County 3-2, relegating The Staggies to League One.

A lacklustre first-half from The Rovers saw County go into halftime ahead, but a second-half Raith rally, followed by a late, late penalty, ultimately doomed Ross County to a second-straight relegation.

Dougie Imrie was serving a touchline ban on this occasion, but nonetheless, still had some choices to make regarding a depleted team. The Rovers’ gaffer made three changes to the side that lost 2-0 to league champions St Johnstone last weekend, with Callum Fordyce and Darragh O’Connor absent through injury. Josh Mullin and Paul Hanlon took their places in an out-of-sorts backline, whilst Jack Hamilton got the nod over Kai Montagu, who appeared as a substitute. Chin, Wilson, and Winter were the only other names on the bench, leaving assistant manager Andy Millen with just four substitutes, alongside a lack of any back-up goalkeeper.

Ross County got things underway knowing they, at the very least, needed to win on the night to stand a chance of staying in the league.

The visitors got exactly what they were looking for in the 16th minute after Noah Chilvers free-kick from wide found the head of Kieran Phillips just six yards from goal. The striker did well to connect in a crowded penalty area, glancing a header past Josh Rae to give his side the lead early on.

The Staggies continued to threaten, but Raith settled and managed to create some chances of their own as halftime approached. Both Innes Cameron and Jack Hamilton came close, but neither could find the net before the interval.

Raith started with a bit more urgency in the second half, but it was County who should probably have found the net again after a corner to the back post was met by Akil Wright on the hour mark. The defender’s header was on target, but Rae did well to tip the effort over the bar. The Rovers’ shot-stopper was called into action again a few minutes later, with Ryan Duncan’s effort from outside the box requiring a strong palm away from Rae in order to keep the deficit to one.

Raith’s attacking efforts only grew as the match went on amid a flurry of substitutions from County. The Rovers would soon find a leveller after Mullin’s pinpoint ball from the right touchline was headed in by Innes Cameron just six yards from goal. With just 15 minutes to go, the scores were level, and Ross County were back in the drop zone.

They say if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it, and that’s exactly what Mullin did in the 79th minute as he whipped another textbook ball into the box from a near-identical position, following Paul Nsio’s efforts in midfield. Hamilton was left free at the back post, and faced essentially no contest as he headed in from close range. Just four minutes after levelling the scores, Raith had taken the lead with just ten minutes to go.

However, things wouldn’t be quite that straightforward…

At least five minutes of injury time was announced and, in the fifth of such minutes, James Scott managed to slot one past Rae from a tight angle to level the match at the death. It looked like Raith’s turbulent season had seen its final twist, but there was one more turn left in store…

65 seconds after the equaliser, Cameron broke into the Staggies box and was faced with a lunging challenge from County captain, Declan Gallagher. Cameron was brought down, and a chorus of appeals were directed toward referee Duncan Nicholson.

Penalty Rovers.

Mullin stepped up to take against his former club, and wrapped his spot-kick away into the bottom left corner – notching one last win for Raith with the final kick of the 2025/26 season, and confirming Ross County’s relegation to League One.

After 36 matches, 43 goals, and 12 wins, Raith finish the season comfortably in fifth place.

Next up – the 2026/27 Scottish Championship Season.

Written by Hamish Rankine.

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