Lewis Vaughan bagged the only goal of the game as Raith Rovers claimed a hard-fought Fife derby triumph over Cowdenbeath.
The classy striker produced a clinical finish midway through the first period to settle the contest at Central Park, while new signing Christophe Berra struck the woodwork.
Although the Championship outfit, predictably, had the better of the chances, Cowden will look back on a woefully wasted opportunity from Kyle Miller as they began their Premier Sports Cup Group D campaign with a defeat.
Rovers named five debutants in their starting line-up, with Liam Dick, Berra, Aidan Connolly, Dario Zanatta and Matej Poplatnik all pitched into action at Central Park.
Cowdenbeath, who completed the signing of Rovers legend David McGurn as player/coach prior to kick-off, named 42-year-old former Dundee United favourite Craig Easton on the bench.
Raith Rovers ripple the net
It was former Scotland and Hearts star Berra who flashed an early header narrowly over the bar as John McGlynn’s visitors began brightly.
However, it was the familiar face of Vaughan who broke the deadlock with 21 minutes on the clock, with the mercurial Rovers front-man cutting in from the right and firing a fine finish beyond Cammy Gill from 16 yards.
With a crowd of 778 watching on, Connolly stung the palms of ex-Dunfermline keeper Gill, before Berra — a towering threat from set-pieces — struck the bar with a header.
Vaughan passed up a golden chance to double Rovers’ lead after the break, superbly slaloming through the heart of the Cowden defence, only to drag his shot wide of the post.
Raith were almost made to pay for their profligacy when Blue Brazil striker Kris Renton found Miller with a fine lofted pass to the back-post. However, the midfielder somehow contrived to miss the target from two yards with the goal gaping.
There was a moment of late catharsis for Dave McKay when the defender entered the fray as a substitute for Rovers; his first outing since February 22, 2020 after battling back from cruciate knee ligament damage.
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