A point apiece was probably a fair result from this Stark’s stalemate although both sides also have a case for believing they could have taken all three.
Raith will feel they should have made their one-man advantage count following Lewis Toshney’s sending-off with more than half an hour of the game left.
Dundee United will also believe they could have sealed a victory against the odds courtesy of the penalty they were awarded.
However, they did not seize the chance and considering Raith also hit the woodwork, neither side can have complaints about the game ending all square.
There may not have been any goals to thrill the fans but as nil-nils go, this was an early Christmas cracker.
Both sides went hammer and tong from the first whistle to the last and it was a fair bet to predict that someone would fall foul of the ref in a match where tackles were flying in.
Toshney duly became the panto villain seeing red on the ground where he plied his trade last season for Rovers.
However, the Tangerines rallied well after going down to 10 men and boss Ray McKinnon made a typically bold move bringing on striker Simon Murray for midfielder Charlie Telfer in a bid to find a winner.
United though will be happy that their unbeaten run has now stretched to 13 games and they are still neck and neck with Hibs.
Special mention must also go to the near 2,500 United fans who filled the Val McDermid stand. It was a great turn-out the week before Christmas and a welcome boost to the Raith coffers.
