Colin Hamilton’s header rescued a point for Arbroath on a frustrating afternoon for Raith Rovers.
Boos rang out around Stark’s Park on the final whistle in a match the home side looked comfortable in until that equaliser just before half-time.
Rovers were 1-0 up after a few minutes when Ricky Little turned Ross Millen’s cross into his own net under pressure from Jame Gullan.
The away side had a couple of great chances to take the lead after the break but were denied by some great goalkeeping.
Rovers dominated the ball for the remainder of the half but it broke down for them time and time again in the final third.
Key moments
Arbroath equalised moments before half-time and just after had a great chance through Marcel Oakley.
The full-back advanced down the right before shooting across the goal.
It would have been difficult for Raith to take after looking fairly comfortable up until Hamilton’s goal.
Early in the second half goalkeeper Andy McNeil, who replaced Jamie MacDonald after he pulled up during the warm-up, made an excellent double-save, denying Hamilton a second goal.
In the final minutes, Connor O’Riordan’s looping header from Kyle Connell”s long throw was tipped over by Derek Gaston.
The keeper then made another stop from the subsequent corner, this time from Ryan Nolan.
Raith’s star man
It was a frustrating afternoon for the home side and they again had their keeper to thank for keeping them in the game.
McNeil made some crucial saves in the SPFL Trust Trophy victory over Morton the previous week, including in the shootout.
He prevented Hamilton from making it 2-1 soon after the break. It seemed important at the time and was worth a point for his side in the end.
Arbroath’s star man
In what wasn’t the greatest spectacle, Tam O’Brien most things that came near him but, like at the other end, Arbroath had their keeper to thank for the point.
Gaston tipped over O’Riordan’s header before following that up with an important save from the following corner.
Managers under the microscope
Ian Murray was thrown a curveball when Jamie MacDonald pulled out during the warm-up.
Vaughan drops to the bench, Gullan starts up front, Ross comes in on the left. Ngwenya replaces Dick, who was a doubt, and MacDonald comes back in. pic.twitter.com/q8ISV7nyHf
— Craig Cairns (@craigcairns001) December 17, 2022
The goalkeeper has been carrying a shoulder issue in recent weeks and missed the previous match versus Morton.
He was replaced by McNeil for the start of the match.
There was another setback in the first half when Ethan Ross was replaced in the first half.
The winger went down under a cynical challenge from David Gold, for which the Arbroath midfielder was booked, and tried to play on before eventually being replaced by Vaughan.
Dick Campbell heavily rotated his side for the heavy defeat to Dunfermline in the SPFL Trust Trophy and returned to a more familiar starting XI for this one.
With no Michael McKenna, Daniel Fosu started up front for the Red Lichties, with Bobby Linn and Dale Hilson either side.
They lost Dylan Tait in the first half to what looked like a horrible injury and he was replaced by Florian Hoti.
Man in the middle
Calum Scott had a few yellows to dish out and seemed to largely have a handle on things.
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