Raith Rovers need to move on quickly from their two recent home draws.
The twinge of disappointment from dropping points at home to Ayr United and a barebones Arbroath must not detract from what has been an exceptional quarter for Ian Murray’s men.
The fact is, Rovers set the bar so high this season it’s only natural there is disappointment at only taking two points from six available at Stark’s Park.
The week before those two recent home draws, they left the home of their title rivals Dundee United will all three points.
United have narrowed the gap since, and still have a game in hand, but there is no taking away from how impressive Raith have been this season.
As Ian Murray put it after the 2-2 draw with Arbroath:Â “There’s no doubt at this stage of the season, halfway through, if you’re so close, you’ve go to have your eye on another prize as well.
“But I think we maybe need to have a wee look at it again and see exactly where we are.
“We’ve had a really good quarter, we picked up 20 points in the first quarter and we’ve picked up 21 in this quarter.
“We’ve done really well but we’ve had opportunities to have an amazing quarter and we’ve not taken them.”
Form
You could argue it still has been an amazing quarter. Six wins and three draws in the Championship, as well as progression in the Scottish Cup and SPFL Trust Trophy.
Raith have made their best start to the season in any division in the modern era and often in the most dramatic fashion.
They have lost just one league match since the start of the campaign and just two matches over 90 minutes in 27 matches in all competitions.
If Raith had drawn with Arbroath earlier in the quarter and then finished it off with a win at Tannadice to go top, we’d be talking about a near-flawless quarter.
Any other year, Raith would be running away with the league at this stage.
Grade: A+
Manager
That leeway for the last two matches extends to the manager. Not only is he the man at the helm the team putting this run together, he does so in an entertaining way.
‘Murrayball’ has come into effect many times this season, when defenders are sacrificed for an array of attacking talent on the bench.
You can argue that there have been missteps here and there from Murray, he’s certainly not been flawless, but you cannot argue with the entertainment value.
It’s not always going to work but, as Saturday showed, it will more often than not be exciting.
You cannot give a manager who is top of the league at the halfway stage – creating more than a season’s worth of memorable moments – anything other than top marks.
Grade: A+
Star man: Dylan Easton
You could debate this all day. Sam Stanton and Shaun Byrne continue to be essential components of Raith’s success and Lewis Vaughan is in the form of his life.
Pass it! Pass it! Pass it! GOAL!
Dylan Easton with the winner yesterday. pic.twitter.com/QIhNVEjniR
— Raith Rovers Football Club (@RaithRovers) December 17, 2023
Dylan Easton edges it, not least because his piece of individual magic won the three points at Tannadice that ultimately has Raith Rovers playing pace-setters as it stands.
Grade: A+
Conclusion
As was raised at the outset, the last two results shouldn’t tinge what has been an incredible run, this quarter and the first of the season.
The challenge now is how they respond to this slight setback, starting with their third trip to East End Park of the season
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