Preview

After an encouraging start to their league campaign, Raith Rovers face a long trip north on Tuesday evening, to face the Ross County development squad in the second round of the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup.

Rovers go into the game on the back of a 5-2 win over Clyde at the weekend, with the goals coming from five different scorers, as John McGlynn’s men easily overcome the Bully Wee at Stark’s Park for the first since 1991.

It was a result which put Rovers top of the league, and while it’s early days, it’s just the second time in 2019 that Raith have won back-to-back league games, a fact which augurs well for the season ahead.

Ross County’s development squad reached this stage of the competition thanks to a 3-2 win at Fraserburgh, a result which was all the more impressive considering they played the entire second period with just 10 men, after Joel Macbeath was dismissed in first half stoppage time.

This will be the second time the two sides have met in this competition in two years, with Rovers running out 4-0 winners in September 2017.

Goals from Liam Buchanan, Bobby Barr and a double from Lewis Vaughan had Raith four up after just half an hour, but they eased off with the job done, allowing the Dingwall youngsters to head back up the road with a semi-respectable score line.

Tuesday night’s match referee will be Graham Beaton

Match Odds:

Ross County: 7/2 | Raith Rovers: 61/100 | Draw: 10/3

Reports

Rovers started the match brightly despite their three-hour coach trip, but were put under the cosh by the mostly youthful Colts team.

With Paton and Wallace tormenting the defence and Keillor-Dunn providing the ammunition there were shots from all areas, thankfully most of them into the North Stand.
With just over half an hour on the clock, Dylan Tait found Lewis Allan with a delightful pass which he exploited by embarrassing the home defence and slotting the ball past Dixon-Hodge who was way out of position.

Three minutes later Lewis Allan doubled his and Rovers tally (this time Hendry the provider) and, from almost the same position as his first, fired past the keeper into the far corner.
County came out in the second half meaning business, McGurn a spectator as a 30 yarder rattled the crossbar, hit the line and bounced away from goal.

Just short of the hour mark County reaped the rewards of their efforts, Harry Paton sneaked past Benedictus and crossed from the bye line, waiting with his back to goal was Davis Keillor-Dunn who calmly backheeled past McGurn.

The game moved into the last minutes of the half and Rovers looked to have done enough, but County Colts hadn’t read that particular script, instead, the plot took a disastrous turn.
Keillor-Dunn hit a 25-yard free kick to the top corner, McGurn stopped the shot but failed to control the ball, instead it felt to Mark Gallagher, making no mistake from all of a yard out.

With the likelihood of the game going to penalties Rovers, with a minute left in regular time, found enough to win the tie courtesy of Ross Matthews who calmly side footed past the diving Colts keeper from the middle of the box.
John McGlynn at full time bemoaned the amount of travelling his side have had in recent weeks, with more to come against Stranraer on Saturday, and will have been happy to have chased the bright full moon down the A9 on the way home with a 3rd round tie in the bag.

Lewis Allan was impressive with his brace of goals, but the stand out player again was Regan Hendry who never stopped running all night.

Highlights

The match highlights video will appear here the day after the match

Interviews

RaithTV talked to John McGlynn after the victory in the Tunnock's Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup R2 match v Ross County Colts