Raith Rovers kept their slim play-off hopes alive with a comprehensive victory over Queen of the South at Stark’s Park.
A double from Mark Stewart, and a late stunner from Lewis Vaughan, meant Rovers closed the gap on their fourth-placed rivals to eight points with seven games remaining.
Raith boss Grant Murray was delighted to claim his first points against the Dumfries side this season, although he admitted that his team’s hopes of catching the Doonhamers remain remote.
“We’ve had to work hard, especially at 1-0, but the back five were immense and we caused them problems going forward,” he said.
“The top four is still a massive ask but we’ll try to win as many games as possible between now and the end of the season.”
Rovers fashioned a chance to take the lead inside 60 seconds as Lewis Vaughan released Stewart in behind the Queens defence but the striker was well off target.
Stewart was more accurate with his next attempt as he fired Raith into an 18th minute lead, lashing home the rebound after Jason Thomson saw his header saved.
The visitors raised the tempo after the break, replacing defender Mark Durnan with striker Gavin Reilly, and proceeded to dominate the game. On 47 minutes Kevin Holt broke down the left and his low cross was just missed by Derek Lyle, while two minutes later Millar guided a free-kick over the bar.
Rovers missed a glorious chance to double their lead in the 54th minute after Anderson was one-on-one with Zander Clark, but the winger slipped at the crucial moment and the chance was gone.
Andy Dowie almost made Rovers pay for that miss four minutes later as he met Millar’s free-kick with a powerful downward header, but David McGurn made a brilliant save.
Kevin Holt wasted another opportunity for Queens on 75 minutes, heading Danny Carmichael’s cross over the bar from six yards.
And Rovers made them pay three minutes later as Stewart got on the end of Conroy’s cross to glance a header in off the far post.
It was 3-0 in the 82nd minute as teenager Vaughan skipped his way past three defenders before sending an unstoppable shot past the motionless Clark for his third goal in his last four starts.