Raith Rovers came back from behind to haunt Arbroath as the Angus side lost at home for the fifth successive time.
Strikes from Scott Brown and Connor McBride cancelled out Michael McKenna’s opener as Raith moved into fifth.
Arbroath v Raith key moments
The teams are out at the Costa del Gayfield for @ArbroathFC v @RaithRovers pic.twitter.com/idA852cfU9
— Ewan Smith (@ewansmithpr) February 4, 2023
Arbroath almost took full advantage of the blustery conditions as they came close to a third minute opener.
Michael McKenna’s swirling corner was netbound before Jamie MacDonald tipped it onto the bar.
Then came a touchline flashpoint as Arbroath’s Ryan Dow squared up to Ross Millen with the pair both booked for the altercation.
And Raith came close to taking the lead on 15 minutes as Dylan Easton’s point-blank effort was parried by Derek Gaston.
But McKenna then scored direct from the corner, fourth time lucky, to give Lichties the lead on 19 minutes.
Raith claimed for a penalty on 39 minutes, claiming Lewis Vaughan’s struck Tam O’Brien’s hand.
The visitors had the ball in the net in 53 minutes but Ryan Nolan’s effort was ruled out for a foul.
But Brown thundered an 18-yard effort home to draw Raith level.
And they took the lead as McBride got on the end of Easton’s cross to head home.
Arbroath star man:
Michael McKenna is back to his brilliant best covering every blade of grass and scoring goals.
Raith Rovers star man:
Scott Brown marshalled Raith superbly and netted a stunning strike to haul his team back into this.
Player ratings:
Arbroath: Gaston 6, Stewart 6, Hamilton 6, Little 7, O’Brien 7, Balde 7 (Hetherington 65, 4), McKenna 8 (Linn 82, 3), Olusanya 6 (Komolafe 65, 4), Bitsindou 6, Adarkwa 7 (El-Mhanni 85, 2), Dow 6 (Banks 65, 3). Subs: Gill, Gold, Hilson, Allan. Booked: Dow, McKenna, O’Brien, Balde.
Raith Rovers: MacDonald 7, Dick 7, Millen 6 (McBride 67, 3), Nolan 6, Spencer 6, Connolly 6 (Ngwenya 86, 2), Gullan 6 (Stanton 57, 3), Vaughan 6 (Aklo 57, 3), Lang 6, Brown 8, Easton 8. Subs: McNeil, Ngwenya, McGill, Young. Booked: Millen.
Referee – Alan Newlands 4
Manager under the microscope: Dick Campbell
Dick Campbell unveiled Nigerian striker Paul Komolafe as his eighth signing in 2023, ahead of the game.
Komolafe went straight into the squad alongside fellow new signing Lewis Banks.
But Campbell elected to stick with the same starting XI that beat Morton 2-1 last weekend.
The New Year signings have been transformation and Arbroath are a completely different animal in attack.
Manager under the microscope: Ian Murray
By contrast to his Arbroath counterpart, Murray has streamlined his squad in January.
Six have left the club with Scott McGill and William Akio arriving on loan from Hearts and Ross County respectively.
And Rovers kept faith with the side that drew with Inverness.
His side was well-organised and they battled and scrapped for every ball in a fiercely-competitive game.
They came back superbly in the second period to win.
Man in the middle: Alan Newlands
If you’re being fair, you’d say this was a fiercely competitive game with several meaty challenges.
But this was a woeful performance littered with inconsistencies.
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