At the halfway(ish) point of the season, Raith find themselves top of the pile. A most unexpected but welcome turn of events has achieved this. The second quarter of the campaign was always going to be more difficult with some difficult away games scheduled and after a dream start raising the expectations somewhat. The added jeopardy of the clocks going back and injuries piling up, matching their 22 points total after the first 9 games was always going to be tricky.
The omens for the second quarter looked ominous when the opening game at Ayrshire backwater Stranraer took place actually underwater, a swift abandonment as soon as Stranraer cancelled out Vaughan’s majestic free kick was common sense from the referee, no complaints from either side as the threat of the Belfast ferry docking at the 18 yard line was fast becoming a reality. The following Saturday saw Raith travel to Angus and to the wonderful Station Park with their equally wonderful bridie mascot. A dominant performance saw Raith struggle to break down relegation battling Forfar and when they did carve out a clear chance, they found Forfar keeper Marc McCallum in fine form. A half chance carved out for John Herron at the back post was dispatched and three points looked certain. However a simple 50 yard ball down the middle of the park undone Raith, Graeme Smith was glued to his line and Davidson was left with the decision to let the striker Ousman See have a free run at goal or bundle him over risking a penalty and a red card. Davidson as ever chose to bundle the boy over and sit out the next game suspended. The resulting penalty allowed Forfar to equalise and gain an unlikely point. Raith returned home to face East Fife in a forgettable derby where chances were few and far between and only a horrendous keeper error allowed Vaughan to score and maintain Raith’s 100% home league record.
The next week saw Raith travel 600 odd miles to play three games, two cup defeats to Dumbarton and Peterhead sandwiched a midweek trip to Ayr who dispatched Raith with ease and dominated in a well deserved 3-0 victory. This tightened Ayr’s grip at the top of the table and at this point Raith looked lost with an injury ravaged squad resulting in square pegs in round holes. Theee games, eight goals against and none scored wrecked the already fragile confidence. The static, uptight performances that had been keeping the points total ticking over finally produced the results that they deserved and a bad week ended in predictable fashion with a 3-0 drubbing at League 2 Peterhead ending Raith’s participation in the Scottish Cup before the BBC had even realised it had started.
Two home games to Queens Park and Alloa took on huge importance, a chance to steady the ship and keep pace with an Ayr United side on an emphatic run of form, who had also benefited from playing an extra game and were turning the pressure up on Raith who were starting to disappear in their rear view mirror. A routine if uninspiring victory against the Spiders was followed up with a decent second half performance against Alloa who set up a nervy ending with an 87th minute goal. Raith saw the game out and with Vaughan now deploying a deeper centre midfield role, the green shoots of a mini Raith revival looked on the cards. This was wrong, albeit temporarily. The following weekend, a trip to Airdrie was the second part of a live televised ‘Super Sunday’ double bill, with the Merseyside Derby as a lunchtime appetiser. The Airdrie game however was probably the worst football game ever broadcast on TV, thankfully only diehard Scottish football fans and the population of Stornoway witnessed this absolute shitfest on BBC’s Alba. An abysmal performance from Raith which deserved nothing saw Airdrie snatch a draw from the jaws of victory with an injury time own goal under pressure from Jonny Court. A point at the time looked like an utterly futile enterprise but now looks like such an important result. Raith got far more than they deserved, no doubts.
The Albion Rovers home fixture was cancelled due to a frozen touchline at Starks, which gave Ayr another chance to extend their lead, they duly did so more pressure was heaped onto Raith for the now absolutely crucial away tie at Gayfield on the 23rd of December. With a gentle North Sea breeze blowing right down the park, it was always going to be a game of two halves, and Raith had the advantage of the Hurricane in the first half. Two goals to the good at half time looked at least one too few. As predicted Arbroath battered Raith in the second half and after an earlyish goal , it looked almost certain that Raith’s chance of a much needed win was disappearing quicker than a contract offered to Eddie Forrest. But a battling performance from Raith saw it through, a miraculous save from Graeme Smith was just as surprising as the end result of three points. Stranraer at home looked like a formality and a comfortable 3-0 victory was made even better with the news Forfar somehow overturned Ayr at Somerset Park despite being down by two with fifteen minutes left. Raith had ended the year on a high with a solid December. A New Year derby in Methil to start 2018 Raith getting off to a flyer was a real possibility, a narrow 3-2 victory was probably deserved but was less than comfortable, Raith got a bit of fortune for the winner, and not for the first time either this season. However it was enough to maintain Raith’s unbeaten run over East Fife back to the Jurassic age. Forfar returned to Starks to start Raith’s third quarter campaign, another excellent performance produced another three points. The 2-1 scoreline flattered Forfar a bit but more importantly the result saw Raith reach the summit once again in League Two, courtesy of an Arbroath victory in Ayrshire.
20 points from 27 was a decent return, especially as for long spells the squad was held together with sellotape and Pritt Stick. With no real news positive or otherwise on the fitness of Benedictus, McHattie or even Lennox, Raith can ill afford injuries or suspensions in the next month.
With 5 games scheduled between now and the 7th of February, a big month lies ahead, that may just have a bearing on Raith’s season. If (big, big IF) Raith defeat Ayr at home, then record away wins at Stranraer, Alloa and Queens Park. A win in the rescheduled postponed match against Albion Rovers on the 6th February will see Raith go a minimum of 10 points clear of Ayr United with 12 games remaining. That is highly unrealistic, Ayr will find their scoring form again, and Raith are highly unlikely to take maximum points from next 5 games. Next Saturday is a huge game for both Ayr and Raith, with real momentum in the title race at stake as well as the 3 points. Next Saturday decides nothing but the winner will get a little bit of breathing space and a possible psychological edge for the run in.
CB.
cbirch27 