When we did our quarterly report card for Raith Rovers we were being pretty optimistic when the table didn’t look great for Ian Murray’s side.
Since then their rollercoaster season has continued, with the recent announcement that the club is seeking fresh investment.
On the field, despite a recent run of five league matches without a win Rovers sit midtable in what is still quite a tight division.
Courier Sport assesses the first half of Raith Rovers’ season.
Signings
This has been a bit of a mixed bag, really, as Raith worked with a reduced budget compared to last season.
Some have starred and played most minutes, others have been in and out, some have hardly featured at all.
Among the latter group are John Frederiksen and Connor McBride.
While McBride still has relative youth on his side, the signing of the 6’8 Faroese international at this point looks like a failed experiment.
Brown has been handed the team captaincy and started almost every match while 19-year-old centre-back O’Rioirdan played every minute during his loan from Crewe Alexandra – which was recently, and unexpectedly, cut short.
Ryan Nolan was ever-present alongside him until his injury and Dylan Easton has had a similar timeline and needs to regain his sparkle from the start of the season.
Murray has done well considering a reduced budget and starting the season without a defence and then losing his assistant Scott Agnew.
Grade: B
Star man
Aidan Connolly has scored 13 goals in all competitions – including a third of Raith’s 24 league goals – many of them spectacular.
Another screamer to add to Aidan Connolly's ever-growing collection 🎯#cinchChamp | @RaithRovers pic.twitter.com/ACWsRN0EmR
— SPFL (@spfl) October 31, 2022
He also has six assists and has been involved in the build-up of more than a few others.
Earlier in the season the goals were being spread around, now there is too much reliance on the nippy winger.
Grade: A+
Form
Recently it has been poor.
But as is the nature of the Scottish Championship this season Raith are sixth and another decent run from looking up the way again.
Five league matches without a win don’t lie though and even the SPFL Trust Trophy win over Morton was a draw after 90 minutes.
Great to see @lewiis7 back on the scoresheet at Stark's Park once again. 💙 pic.twitter.com/GYTBH1lwO1
— RaithTV (@RaithTV) December 12, 2022
They are still in two cup competitions and, as Murray said after the draw with Morton, a win over Accies on Monday leaves them unbeaten in four.
There have been countless injuries which have no doubt been a factor.
Not many teams are unlucky enough to see their two first-team goalkeepers be out at the same time, for example.
Grade: B-
Manager
Things haven’t exactly gone smoothly for the Rovers boss but there are genuine mitigating factors beyond his control.
He started with a thin squad and had a difficult first transfer window – though no one could quite put their finger on why.
The off-the-field issues will be an unwelcome distraction as well.
Raith play some of the best football in the division and a good run of form had them as high as third at one point.
There are still areas where the manager can improve, not least Rovers’ tally of points taken from losing positions.
Murray and the players also require a solution to leaking too many goals from set-pieces.
Grade: B
Conclusion
There is a lot of room for improvement at Stark’s Park but there are still enough signs of life in Rovers’ season.
They started with play-off ambitions and that remains within touching distance.
There is a lot of uncertainty, on and off the field, and the rollercoaster shows no obvious signs of slowing.
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