raith-rovers

Raith Rovers Christmas Cup 2024 Highlights

Sunday 1st December saw the fifth running of Raith Rovers Walking Football’s Christmas Cup. On a mild day, compared to the last two years, ten teams took to the pitches to contest this popular end of year tournament. The teams were split into two groups of five with each team playing the others once and the top two in the group going forward into the semi finals.

Group A
Group A consisted of: Stenhousemuir, Tayport, Linlithgow Rose, Hibernian WF and Fairfield. Round one saw Linlithgow Rose beat Tayport 2-0 while Fairfield were beating Stenhousemuir by the same score. With Fairfield sitting out round two Linlithgow could take the initiative in the group. A 1-1 draw with Stenny saw them narrowly lead the group while Tayport added their name to the contenders with a 1-0 win over Hibs. A 3-2 win for Tayport over Stenny in round three saw them share the league lead with Fairfield with the later beating Hibs 2-1. The final round before the break saw Fairfield beat Tayport 1-0 and Rose beat Hibs 2-1 to book their places in the semi. After the break Fairfield beat Rose 2-0 to take the league while Hibs beat Stenny 2-1 to take fourth place.

Group B
In Group B we had: Hearts, Arbroath, Raith Rovers, Crieff and Falkirk. Round one started with Raith beating Arbroath 1-0 and Falkirk beating Hearts 2-0. In round two Hearts beat Raith 3-2 while Arbroath beat Crieff 2-1 to leave four teams sitting on 3 points at the top of the group. Into round three and, with Raith sitting this one out, Hearts take the initiative to lead the group beating Arbroath 2-0 while Crieff and Falkirk fought out a 1-1 draw. In round four Raith beat Crieff 4-3 in the highest scoring game of the day while Arbroath made things interesting beating Falkirk 3-1. Into the last round of matches and four teams could make it into the top two positions depending on how the results worked out. However with both Hearts and Raith winning by 2-1 score lines against Crieff and Falkirk respectively they topped the group on nine points each. With both teams also having a goal difference of +2 Raith were declared group winners on account of having scored more goals.

And so to the Semi Finals. Fairfield V Hearts and Raith V Linlithgow. Both were tight games with Hearts edging Fairfield out 2-1 and Raith beating Linlithgow 2-0.
Would the final see Raith retain the cup or Hearts put their name on the trophy for the first time? The game was as tight as the group game between the sides with only one goal scored in the 15 minutes and so a new name was added to the trophy and congratulations to Hearts!

Reflections:
After a little bit of rain during the introductions the weather turned out perfect for football. All teams played in the right spirit we’ve come to expect in this tournament which was great to see once more. This year’s competition was the most competitive we’ve had with no team losing a game by more than 2 goals and the results in all games never being certain. For the above we have to thank all of the teams for their attitude. And also the referee crew, who once again did a great job, despite the often helpful(?) advice from players and officials. And finally thanks to Raith’s Callum Hannah for coming along and presenting the trophy.

Until next year enjoy the photos below courtesy of our on the day photographer, Leta.

Raith Rovers’ Close League Battle: A Thrilling Recap

Raith over 50s went into the last round of fixtures in WFS’s East Region League on Sunday 27th October one point behind leaders, Dundee East, with each team having 4 games to play. Meanwhile a point behind Rovers lay Luncarty and lurking a further point back were Hearts. It was going to be a tight day.

Back row: Willie Carroll, Haig Hutchison, Harry Gilfillan, Davey Ramsey, Ritchie Malcolm, Charles Doherty
Front row: Neil Galloway, Ian (Chillo) McMillan, Kevin Henderson, Scott McIntosh, John Wylie

First up was Arbroath. Last year’s champions were having a hard season and were currently sitting 6th in the league. Despite this Raith were expecting a tough game and that’s how it played out. For most of the game both teams cancelled each other out attacking and defending well while both keepers pulled off some big saves. However the deadlock was broken in the 13th minute when, super-sub, Neil Galloway, received a pass from Davey and shot low past the Arbroath keeper to open the scoring. With taking the lead late in the game and knowing all points were going to be crucial on the day Raith played the game out in a controlled manner to run out winners 1-0.
Luncarty 1-3 Hearts
Oriam 1-1 Dundee East
Raith Rovers 1-0 Arbroath – Maroon
St James 2-1 Tayport – Reds
Raith Rovers 25pts
Dundee East 24pts
Hearts 23pts
Luncarty 21pts

Game two saw St James as the opposition. Another team not having their expected season. Long time dominant force in the league they had started the day second bottom of the league but after one game had risen above Arbroath into sixth place. A tight start to the game turned Raith’s way in the 3rd minute when a pass from Davey found Chillo who turned and shot 1-0. Three minutes later St James tied the game up but that parity was short-lived when a St James player stepped into their keeper’s area and the ref awarded a penalty to Raith. Up stepped Kev Henderson, planted his standing foot firmly beside the ball and fired past the keeper. 2-1 There few more opportunities for both sides but Harry in the Raith goal again pulled off some great saves and Raith held on to record their second win of the day 2-1.
Linlithgow Rose 1-4 Dundee East
Luncarty 0-2 Arbroath – Maroon
Oriam 1-0 Tayport – Reds
Raith Rovers 2-1 St James
Raith Rovers 28pts
Dundee East 27pts
Hearts 23pts
Luncarty 21pts

Third game in and the team faced Oriam. Oriam started the day just below the top four in fifth place and were maintaining that position. Raith opened the scoring in the 4th minute when Scott took a free kick, passing to Kev who beat the keeper for a 1-0 lead. The lead however was short-lived as a rising Oriam shot caught Scott high on his arm in the penalty area and the ref awarded Oriam a penalty. 1-1 With points winning prizes Raith pushed hard for a winner but had to remain vigilant to not lose a goal to a breakaway or a “three runs” penalty. However the pressure paid off in the 13th minute when some scrappy play at the edge of the Oriam box allowed Scott to score. 2-1 And that’s how it finished as Raith managed the game out.
Oriam 1-2 Raith Rovers
Linlithgow Rose 0-1 Tayport – Reds
Luncarty 1-3 St James
Hearts 2-0 Arbroath – Maroon
Raith Rovers 31pts
Dundee East 27pts
Hearts 26pts
Luncarty 21pts

So Raith went into their last game, against Linlithgow Rose, knowing that a win would secure the league title. Any other result and the league would be decided by the results of the last two games of the day which involved the other two teams in the hunt. The game started badly for Raith as they seemed to switch off and allowed Linlithgow to score in the second minute. However they regained their composure and for the next six minutes dominated the game with Harry, in the Raith net, foiling any Linlithgow break-a-ways. The game turned in the 10th minute when the ref awarded Linlithgow a, what some saw as controversial, penalty. The Linlithgow player, heading towards the corner, played the ball a metre or so in front of him. Ritchie came round him and played the ball, without any contact and started to advance. All seemed well until the Linlithgow player called for a foul which was then given. The penalty was scored and Raith were now up against it. From this point on it was all out attack from Raith to try and salvage the game. However desperation led to gaps at the back and Linlithgow punished Raith with goals in the 12th minute and another just before full time. 0-4
Dundee East 1-1 Tayport – Reds
Hearts 3-1 St James
Linlithgow Rose 4-0 Raith Rovers
Luncarty 0-0 Oriam
Raith Rovers 31pts
Hearts 29pts
Dundee East 28pts
Luncarty 22pts

Going into the last two games, Arbroath – Maroon V Dundee East and Hearts V Linlithgow Rose, a draw in each game would see Raith win the league. A win for Hearts would see them win the league. A loss or draw for Hearts and a win for Dundee East would see Dundee East win the league on goal difference. It was all down to these two matches and Raith now had no say. For a while it was looking good for Raith with Hearts drawing 1-1 with Linlithgow and Dundee East drawing 2-2 with Arbroath. However two late goals for Dundee East, and no further scoring in the other match, gave Dundee the title.

Exciting Matches and Fair Play: Raith Rovers at Walking Football Scotland’s Scottish Cup

Saturday the 22nd June saw Raith’s over 50s travel through to Glasgow Green for this year’s Walking Football Scotland’s Scottish Cup. This year they were joined by some of our younger players who were playing in the non-competitive Festival. An ideal baptism into tournament play and playing with real refs. Scores weren’t counted with the focus being on fun and playing in the right spirit and ethos of walking football.

Both squads

The main event saw the team in a reduced group of only five teams. Glenbuck and Douglas Valley, St Anthony’s, Dumbarton and Giffnock which, in turn, meant twenty minute games.

Back Row: Andy Allison, Willie Carroll, Davey Ramsay, Keith Jenkin, Ritchie Malcolm
Front row: John Wylie, Charles Doherty, Ian McMillan (Chillo), Colin Hardie (Titch), Haig Hutchison

Our group kicked off with with Dumbarton playing Giffnock with Giffnock running out as quite easy 3-0 winners. And next up was Raith V Glenbuck And Douglas Valley.

The game started well enough for Raith with numerous shots, on and off target, in the opening 4 minutes but with no ultimate end product. In the fifth minute Glenbuck were penalised for a third running offense and John Wylie stepped up to take it. The keeper guessed right and saved and less than a minute later the tables were turned and Raith were penalised for the third time and it was a Glenbuck penalty which was expertly saved by Keith Jenkin. The next ten minutes followed the same pattern of Raith raining shots in the direction of the Glenbuck goal with many not hitting the (small) target or being saved by the keeper. However the breakthrough goal game in 15 minutes when John Wylie found Titch with an inch perfect pass and Titch, finally, found the net. The game continued in the same vein for the final five minutes with Raith attacking and shooting and failing to find the back of the net.
Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 0-1 Raith Rovers

We sat out the next two rounds which saw St Anthony’s beat Dumbarton 2-1 and Giffnock beating Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 4-0.

And to our second game, experienced and streetwise St Anthony’s. Ant’s take an early lead in the first minute with a free kick passed to one of their forwards who backs in to the defence lays the ball back while spinning the defender blindsiding our keeper. In any other game it’s a defensive free kick but the ref disagrees and it’s a goal. The teams trade penalties in the 8th and 9th minutes with neither converting and a final failed penalty in the 15th. Raith press hard in the final minutes but St Ant’s hold on to win 1-0.
St Anthony’s 1-0 Raith

The final game before the mid session break sees Dumbarton beat Glenbuck and Douglas Valley 5-1. Then after the break St Ant’s and Giffnock play out a 1-1 draw which means we realistically need to win our remaining two games to progress to the next round.

And we’re on. A cagey start to the game sees Dumbarton take the lead in the 8th minute with a penalty for three running fouls. A second penalty is awarded four minutes later when the ref adjudges Ritchie to have been in the box despite the Dumbarton player leaning in to Ritchie and both player being side by side. It seemed like we weren’t getting any breaks. However we’re awarded a penalty for three running fouls a minute later which Haig takes and scores. We’re pushing Dumbarton hard and they’re penalised for another three running fouls three minutes later. Haig steps up and beats the keeper again. However our joy is short-lived as the ref decides that his standing foot had moved and disallows the penalty. Definitely not getting the breaks. Despite pressing and getting some shots off we fail to score and finish losing 2-1.
Dumbarton 2-1 Raith

The penultimate game had St Ants running out 3-1 winners against Glenbuck and Douglas Valley which leaves only the final game of the group stage.

And so to our last game. Nothing to play for except pride for us but a win for Giffnock would win them the group on goal difference. In the sixth minute we’re awarded a penalty after a third Giffnock running offense. Chillo steps up, keeps his standing foot firmly planted and beats the keeper. 0-1 Some slick passing between Chillo and John in the 14th minute. 0-2 In the nineteenth minute with time running out Titch turns on the edge of the box and beats the keeper. 0-3 It’s looking like a second clean sheet for Keith when with the last kick of the ball Giffnock score to finish the game 1-3.
Our last game of the day and we finally played like we could. Too late but good to know we can still beat one of Scotland’s best teams.

Meanwhile…..

Back row: Charles Doherty, Ally Grant, Ryan Ramsay, John Ross, Graham Allan
Front row: George Lindsay, Ross Paterson, Ian Farmer, Grant Buchan

Over at the non-competitive festival our “youngsters” are enjoying their football and banter with the other teams. They were first up and opening the Festival against today’s sponsors CHSS followed by games against Universal Wanderers, Dumbarton FC, Celtic FC Foundation Parkinsons, Stenhousemuir 24′ and Fort William. The team had a great day out experiencing tournament play, playing with refs but without the pressure of having to win.

To finish off the day the Festival team were awarded the Peter Collins Fair Play trophy. Matt Ramsay from Walking football Scotland said:

Walking Football Scotland were delighted to present the Peter Collins Fair Play Award to Raith Rovers for their outstanding support to the ethos of the game and conveyed true values that the late Peter Collins would have been proud of himself.

Unfortunately most of the team had left for the journey across country when we heard this so only four of the team were available (and in civvies) for the presentation by Rose Reilly. They had come to play and have fun never thinking about winning anything.

Copyright. Walking Football Scotland

On returning to our Monday night session Willie Carroll, East Region Over 50s assistant manager, presented the rest of the team with their medals and the trophy.