After league reconstruction we find ourselves in the East League Championship this year. The second tier of the competition with the hope that we can progress to the highest tier. This season there are three new teams in our league, Luncarty FC from the Perth area, Dundee FC and Highland United and a second team from Tayport, Tayport Yellows.

Today’s squad: Harry Gilfillan, Willie Carroll, Kevin Henderson, Scott McIntosh, Scott Jackson, Ian McMillan, Shaun O’Donnell, Haig Hutchison, Charles Doherty.

Before today’s games kicked off players from all teams across both leagues came together for a minute’s applause in memory of John Cunningham.

Our first game is against newcomers Dundee FC. The game started well with Ian McMillan hitting the bye line in the first minute and cutting the ball back to Scott Jackson who placed the ball behind the keeper for a one goal lead. However Dundee hit back in four minutes when Raith are penalised for a third running offence and Dundee convert the penalty. From here on it’s almost one way traffic as Raith push Dundee back but fail to convert until with time running out a throw out by the keeper is intercepted and, as the ref blows his whistle, Kev Henderson fires the ball into the net. The goal stands!
Dundee FC 1-2 Raith Rovers


Carnoustie Panmure 2-0 Saints in the Community
Dundee FC 1-2 Raith Rovers
Dundee Utc 2-1 Montrose
Highland Utd 0-1 Luncarty FC

Our second game has us playing against semi-newcomers Tayport Yellows. Raith get off to a flyer in this one with two goals in the second minute. First Ian McMillan finds Scott Jackson again for Scott to score and then some nice interplay between Scott Jackson and Scott McIntosh sees Scott McIntosh slot the ball past the keeper. In five minutes a third Raith running foul leads to a Tayport penalty and though Harry Gilfillan gets to the ball he can’t keep it out and Tayport pull one back. Raith continue to press and in twelve minutes the ref awards Raith a corner. The players don’t seem to notice and the Tayport keeper throws the ball into play but it’s intercepted and Raith score. No goal! After the confusion is sorted out Shaun O’Donnell takes the corner to Scott McIntosh who fires the ball past the keeper for a two goal lead. Raith continue to press for the next three minutes but it comes to nothing and the game ends.
Tayport Yellows 1-3 Raith Rovers



Tayport Yellows 1-3 Raith Rovers
Carnoustie Panmure 2-0 Montrose

We sit out the next three rounds.
Dundee FC 1-2 Luncarty FC
Dundee Utd 2-0 Highland Utd
Saints in the Community 2-2 Montrose
Tayport Yellows 0-2 Luncarty FC
Carnoustie Panmure 1-1 Highland Utd
Dundee FC 0-2 Dundee Utd

In our third game we play Perthshire newcomers Luncarty FC. With Luncarty already having won their previous three games this is an important game for today’s league placings. The game starts well for Raith when Luncarty are penalised for a slide tackle. As the offence is in the attacking zone the referee correctly awards Raith a penalty which Scott Jackson converts. The game is all Raith though we fail to convert and in twelve minutes the ref awards Luncarty a penalty for a third running offence which they convert. Raith continue to press but time runs out and the game ends in a draw.
Raith Rovers 1-1 Luncarty FC



Raith Rovers 1-1 Luncarty FC
Saints in the Community 0-0 Highland Utd
Tayport Yellows 0-1 Dundee Utd
Carnoustie Panmure 2-0 Dundee FC

In our final game of this round we play our old friends Saints in the Community. The game starts really well for Raith when Ian McMillan intercepts the ball in the first minute and passes to Scott Jackson who scores. In six minutes Haig Hutchison intercepts a ball in midfield and feeds Scott Jackson who again fires at the keeper who manages a half save but the ball trickles over the line. It’s almost all one way traffic for the rest of the game and further goals from Kevin Henderson and Scott Jackson (Yes Scott, you got a hat-trick) sees the game finish with a four-nil victory to Raith.
Raith Rovers 4-0 Saints in the Community.


Montrose 3-1 Tayport Yellows
Raith Rovers 4-0 Saints in the Community

All in all a good day at the office with no goals conceded from open play. Might need to work on the running fouls we are conceding. However we’re sitting second in the table after the first round of fixtures.

The team set off this afternoon from Starks Park with high expectations of a good start to this year’s league campaign. We had three games today against Fife Wanderers, Montrose and Saints in the Community.

Game 1: Fife Wanderers
A tight game as always between us and our near neighbours. No goals until the 12th minute when the ref pinged us for a third run. I had only counted one up until then but…. The penalty was duly taken and the ball ended up in the net until the ref pointed out that he hadn’t blown his whistle so had to be retaken with the same result. 1-0 to Fife Wanderers.
In the last minute a 3rd running infringement for Fife give us a penalty which Scott Jackson slides past the keeper as the whistle blows and the game finishes as a draw.

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

Game 2: Montrose
The game starts well for Raith with a 2nd minute goal as Scott Jackson collects a kick in and lashes the ball past the Montrose keeper. In the fifth minute a through ball to Scott lets him in again to score his 3rd goal of the day and boosts his campaign for this year’s golden boot. Chances continue for Raith while Montrose fail to really get much purchase on the game. In the 12th minute Scott Jackson claims his hat trick with a thundering shot that beats the keeper. But a big deflection off John Cunningham takes the goal away from Scott and is awarded to John. A couple of late breakaways from Montrose come to nothing and the game ends 3-0 to Raith

Dundee United 0-1 St James
Dunfermline Dynamos 3-2 St Andrews & East Neuk
Montrose 0-3 Raith Rovers
Arbroath 2-3 Crieff Juniors

Fife Wanderers 0-0 Saints in the Community
Dundee United 0-2 Tayport
Fairfield 3-0 St Andrews & East Neuk
Dunfermline Dynamos 1-3 St James

Carnoustie Panmure 2-2 Crieff Juniors
Montrose 1-1 Saints in the Community
Arbroath 3-0 Dundee United
Fife Wanderers 6-0 St Andrews & East Neuk

Game 3: Saints in the Community
Our 3rd and final game of the day and it was a tight one. Plenty of shots fired in by Raith but precious few on target until the 6th minute when an intercepted throw out from the keeper is passed to Scott Jackson and he gives the keeper no chance finding the top right corner of the goal from the left corner of the box. The game continues in the same vein with Raith squandering chance after chance. Luckily the whistle goes and Raith hold out to win 1-0

Dunfermline Dynamos 0-5 Tayport
Fairfield 2-2 St James
Raith Rovers 1-0 Saints in the Community
Carnoustie Panmure 2-0 Montrose

	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
Fairfield	3	2	1	0	7	3	4	7
Raith Rovers	3	2	1	0	5	1	4	7
St James	3	2	1	0	6	3	3	7
Crieff Juniors	3	2	1	0	8	6	2	7
Tayport	3	2	0	1	9	3	6	6
Arbroath	3	2	0	1	6	3	3	6
Fife Wanderers	3	1	2	0	7	1	6	5
Carnoustie Panmure	3	1	1	1	4	3	1	4
Dunfermline Dynamos	3	1	0	2	4	10	-6	3
Saints in the Community	4	0	2	2	2	4	-2	2
Montrose	3	0	1	2	1	6	-5	1
Dundee United	3	0	0	3	0	6	-6	0
St Andrews & East Neuk	3	0	0	3	2	12	-10	0

At the end of week 1 the team is sitting nicely joint top of the league losing only one goal (from a penalty) and scoring five. With Scott Jackson staking an early claim for this year’s golden boot with all but one of our goals. Harry Younger scored nil today