The penultimate Sunday of this year’s league saw the team once again head north to Dundee. With league changes mooted for next year where we finish in the league will play a big part in where, and who, we play next year. This month’s fixtures are against Tayport, Crieff Juniors and Arbroath. Three straight games in a row, one after the other.

Our first game is against Tayport and hopefully will only be 15 minutes long this time. As always it’s a tight game with few clear chances for either side. In the sixth minute Haig collects the ball on the right wing and angles a shot across the goal but it goes wide. In the twelfth minute Raith force four corners one after the other pinning Tayport back in their own half. In the thirteenth minute a Scott Jackson shot flies over the bar and that’s the last real action of the game and it finishes Raith Rovers 0-0 Tayport

Saints in the Community 0-3 St James
Crieff Juniors 2-1 Fairfield
Carnoustie Panmure 3-1 Fife Wanderers
Raith 0-0 Tayport

Our second game of the day is against Crieff Juniors who we’ve played only once before competitively. That last meeting was a 2-2 draw so another close game is expected. And so it turns out with much effort but both keepers on top form. In the sixth minute a Crieff attack brings out a great save from Martin Page but the ball falls to a Crieff player alone at the edge of the box. But he slips and blasts the ball high over the bar from just a few yards. In eleven minutes Raith get pinged for a second running offense and now have to take care in the last few minutes. With time running out in the fourteenth minute there’s some controversy as John Wylie rockets in a shot which comes off the underside of the bar and bounces back over the goalkeeper’s head. The referee, much to the ire of the Crieff players, gives a goal adjudging that the ball had bounced over the line and back into play. With only a minute left the Raith boys dig in and hold on for a well fought win.
Crieff Juniors 0-1 Raith

Crieff Juniors 0-1 Raith
Arbroath 6-0 Montrose
St Andrews & East Neuk 0-8 St James
Dundee Utd 2-1 Fairfield

Our last game of the day is another tough one against second placed Arbroath. Always a tough game against a team of big guys. The game starts poorly for Raith when a shot from the right beats Pagey in the goals for an Arbroath lead. In the eighth minute however a lovely passing move ends up at Kev’s feet and he puts the ball behind the keeper for the equaliser. The parity lasts for three minutes however as Arbroath score from a corner that doesn’t seem to be taken from anywhere near the corner. Determined to try and get something from the game Raith press and in thirteen minutes a midfield interception by Charles leads to a pass to Kev who finds John at the right hand corner of the box and he slots the ball past the keeper for the equaliser. However less than a minute later Arbroath score to retake the lead and manage to hold on to take all three points.
Arbroath 3-2 Raith

Crieff Juniors 5-0 Montrose
St Andrews & East Neuk 0-4 Tayport
Arbroath 3-2 Raith
Dundee Utd CT 4-0 Fife Wanderers

The remaining games:
Carnoustie Panmure 2-1 St Andrews & East Neuk
Arbroath 1-1 Saints in the Community
Saints in the Community 0-2 Tayport
Carnoustie Panmure 1-2 St James

The day ends with a draw, a win and a loss and four points out of nine. A good result against three of the teams in the top four and a result that sees us move up a place in the league.