Raith Rovers manager Ray McKinnon slammed his players’ performance in the pre-season friendly defeat to East Fife on Saturday.
The League Two side secured a 2-0 win over their derby rivals in a wind-affected match thanks to late goals from Kevin Smith and Jonathan Page.
With the first competitive game only a week away, McKinnon was less than impressed with the Kirkcaldy side’s showing.
“There was no competitive edge to them and there was a slackness right through the whole team,” he said.
“That’s below the standard that we’ve set, and I’ve let the guys know that.”
In contrast, player-manager Gary Naysmith was delighted with his East Fife side’s efforts against their Championship opponents. “They never really cut us open, and we could have scored a few more goals,” he said.
Raith made six changes from the side that lost to Dundee in midweek, giving Ross Laidlaw, Ross Matthews and David Bates their first pre-season starts.
Recently released Aberdeen midfielder Jamie Masson was listed as a trialist and played the first hour on the left.
East Fife only had 15 players stripped, including two goalkeepers and two trialists, but the hosts started on the front foot.
Raith enjoyed their best spell after half-time and Vaughan forced Ryan Goodfellow into a good save at his near post after turning sharply in the box.
East Fife regained control and Laidlaw was called into action on 55 minutes, sprawling at the feet of Craig Sutherland to prevent a goal, before a one-handed stop at his near post to deny the same player 10 minutes later.
Raith’s lack of cutting edge was evident as they probed the East Fife defence without making a breakthrough, and the hosts claimed a deserved victory with a late double.
On 86 minutes the impressive ex-Raith striker Kevin Smith latched on to a bouncing ball in the box and thumped a volley beyond Laidlaw.
East Fife made sure of the victory in the final minute as Jonathan Page bulleted a header past Laidlaw from Fraser Mullen’s corner kick.