Raith Rovers suffered defeat at the hands of Queen’s Park, going down
1-0 at Ochilview in the Scottish Championship.
Stephen Eze scored the only goal of the game, nodding in Dom Thomas’Â corner.
Set-pieces were Rovers’ downfall after restricting the home side to few chances from open play.
After a while, Queen’s Park would put each corner on top of the keeper with the towering Nigerian international lurking.
Ian Murray returned largely to the side which defeated Ayr United two weeks with Ethan Ross the only player to miss out from that XI.
I think this is how they will line up but Easton could play from the left with McBride central. pic.twitter.com/i1XBH67fOC
— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) October 1, 2022
Connor McBride kept his place after his match-winner for the much-changed side that knocked Cove Rangers out of the SPFL Trust Trophy.
Key moments
Rovers were the much better side in the early stages, with Sam Stanton cracking the inside of the post in the opening minutes from just outside the box.
McBride then fired a dangerous ball across the goal that was missed by Aidan Connolly.
Queen’s Park came more into the game as the half progressed but were restricted mainly to chances form set-pieces.
Centre-half Lee Kilday headed a corner just wide and at the end of the half Grant Savoury’s top-corner bound free-kick forced a great save from Jamie MacDonald.
Queen’s came out for the second half the better side and were ahead through Eze when he headed in from a corner.
He had threatened not long before with a close-range header after MacDonald was caught under a corner.
Sam Stanton then found himself in a great position in the right channel but his shot – which was going wide – was just out of the reach of Connell who got a slight touch.
Kilday hit the post from another set-piece header before Raith took control for most of the closing stages.
Raith were desperately unlucky not to score at the end when Ross Millen’s header was cleared off the line by Savoury and Connor O’Riordan’s header hit the bar from the rebound.
https://t.co/F3bcyGPiuE pic.twitter.com/u3IqQToA3T
— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) October 1, 2022
Key man: Sam Stanton
In the first half – and a lot of the second – Ryan Nolan seemed to get on the end of everything. Connor O’Riordan and Liam Dick were the same but Rovers struggled as a whole with set-pieces in the second half.
Stanton at one point performed a stepover, stumbling as he set to shoot before another stepover and a blocked shot.
His drive from midfield in the first half is what made Rovers tick.
He faded in the second half, as did the rest of the team, but he looked unstoppable at points in the first half.
Player ratings
Raith Rovers (4-2-3-1): MacDonald 6; Millen 6, O’Riordan 7, Nolan 8 (Coulson 6), Dick 7; Brown 6, Stanton 8; Connolly 6 (Gullan 6), Easton 6, McBride 6 (Spencer 6); Connell 6. Subs not used: Thomson, Matthews, Ngwenya, Masson.
Manager under the microscope
Murray appeared to get his selection correct as Rovers dominated the early stages.
They were excellent at the start of the game but faded as the half progressed while still threatening.
Owen Coyle’s side took control in the early stages of the second half, prompting Murray into a change.
McBride was replaced by Brad Spencer but then shortly after Queen’s Park took the lead through a corner which was headed in by Eze.
Jamie Gullan and Quinn Coulson were later introduced.
Rovers had more of the ball as a result but, as with some other matches this season, Raith struggled without a clear physical presence in attack.
The man in the middle
Grant Irvine was far too quick to blow his whistle for too many decisions but there were no major calls to make.
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