Report

Raith Rovers Dingwall woes continued on Saturday after suffering a 2-0 defeat to Ross County.

A salvo of goals before the break put the hosts ahead, and Raith didn’t manage to make any inroads to the deficit before the full-time whistle.

Dougie Imrie made two changes to the team that won on penalties against Airdrie in the Challenge Cup semi-final midweek, with Ross Matthews and Innes Cameron replacing Andy Winter and Jack Hamilton. Callum Fordyce continued his comeback from injury by appearing on the bench again, although Hamilton missed out entirely due to a knock picked up midweek.

Raith got things underway on a sunny afternoon in the Highlands, but both teams lacked real threat in the opening minutes.

Ross County started to kick on and had the ball in the net via an indirect-freekick in the 13th minute, but Declan Gallagher’s header was ultimately ruled out for offside.

Raith had a headed chance of their own around the half-hour mark after Jordan Doherty put a perfect ball into the box from wide, but Innes Cameron’s effort from six yards ended up safely in the gloves of Trevor Carson.

County got their breakthrough shortly after, with a scramble from a corner resulting in Jordan White being gifted with a chance to shoot from close range. White made the most of his opportunity, rifling the ball into the net amid a crowded goalmouth to put his side ahead in the 34th minute.

Rovers’ players were appealing for a penalty around five minutes later, with Cameron’s goal-ward shot appearing to make contact with the outstretched hand of Jamie Lindsay from close range. These appeals were ultimately unsuccessful, and the subsequent corner ended with a Raith effort comfortably clearing the bar.

Ross County continued to look dangerous from set-pieces; an omen which would strike again right before the halftime whistle after another corner was swung into the Rovers box. Uche Ikpeazu rose highest to meet, glancing a header off the ground and into the net from around six yards out – doubling the host’s lead in the 43rd minute.

Imrie refrained from making any changes before the match got back underway, but a catalogue of substitutions were not far away.

The Staggies almost made it three in the 51st minute after Connor Randall let a first-time effort fly from the edge of the area, but Paul Hanlon’s block denied what seemed to be a goal-bound strike.

Raith pushed up as they tried to get back in the game, but were only faced with another denied penalty appeal after Cameron was brought down in the box after doing well to control a cross-ball.

No luck would come Raith’s way though, with a third and loudest penalty protest once again being waved away just a few minutes later. A pin-balling ball in County’s box looked to have hit the arm of Connor Randall, but claims from an outraged away support and team got Rovers nowhere with referee Lloyd Wilson.

Imrie looked to his bench in the 65th minute and enacted a quadruple change, with Rowe, Chin, Montagu, and Winter replacing Matthews, Cameron, Brown, and Easton.

County had a shout of their own waved away soon after, with a coming together in the Rovers box producing some protests from the home end as full-time approached.

A few more half-chances for the hosts ultimately went amiss before things were brought to a close, consigning Raith to defeat.

Raith now sit sixth in the league after the result, and face a three-point gap to fourth and a four-point gap to ninth, with some matches in hand remaining around the league.

The Rovers face a free week next due to some Scottish Cup scheduling conflicts, which means a trip to East End Park on the 14th of March is next up on the cards for the season’s fourth Fife Derby.

Written by Hamish Rankine.

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