4-0 win v Arbroath takes Raith Rovers to top of William Hill Championship table

The Fifers’ 4-0 victory hosting Arbroath at the weekend matched the scoreline they racked up in a pre-season friendly against Edinburgh City in June and was their heftiest in action in earnest since their 6-0 demolition of Ross County last December, both also at home at Kirkcaldy’s Stark’s Park.

It takes them level with prior table-toppers Stenhousemuir on 13 points and earns them pole position by virtue of a goal difference one better.

They’ve played six fixtures to the Warriors’ handful, however, and could be ousted come Tuesday if Stenny get the better of their game in hand at home to third-placed Partick Thistle, currently on 11 points from five matches, that being a 7.45pm kick-off.

Opening the scoring for the hosts on Saturday was George Oakley at the double, on eight minutes and 15, his first goals for the club since arriving in Fife from Ayr United in June.

The London-born striker also drew a foul leading to visiting defender Charlie Dewar being sent off by referee Dan McFarlane on 26 minutes, leaving his team outnumbered for over an hour, allowing Raith to register 13 shots, seven of them on target, to none from Arbroath.

That red-card offence denied Oakley, 30, an almost-certain hat-trick past visiting goalkeeper Aidan McAdams but failed to affect the outcome of the game as further goals for the hosts were forthcoming from Jai Rowe a minute later from the Calum Adamson free-kick awarded for Dewar’s foul 25 yards out and Dylan Easton, from the penalty spot, just past the hour mark.

That fourth victory of the new season, in front of a crowd of 3,306, ended a three-match winless streak for Rovers versus Arbroath starting with a goalless draw on the road at Gayfield Park last November, with back-to-back defeats following, by 3-2 at home in January and 2-1 away in April, and it leaves manager Colin Hamilton’s Angus outfit sixth in the table, on eight points from half a dozen fixtures.

His opposite number Dougie Imrie was, understandably enough, the happier of the two gaffers at the end of the 90 minutes, telling Raith TV afterwards: “We’re delighted first and foremost with the three points, but obviously four goals make it even more special.

“This was never going to be an easy game. Arbroath are a really good team and last season we saw how difficult it was to play against them, but I thought, from start to finish, we fully deserved the victory.

“To be 2-0 up after 15 minutes, that set the tone, and that was important, to start the game well.

“It was a really assured performance from everyone today. It would be unfair to single anyone out because I thought the 11 that started and the boys that came on were brilliant and kept that intensity going right to the last minute.

“I am really thrilled with that performance.”

Next up for Raith is a trip to Partick this coming Saturday, with kick-off at Glasgow’s Firhill Stadium at 3pm.