Aberdeen 1-0 Raith Rovers: Raith boss Dougie Imrie bemoans 'one lack of concentration'

The top flight hosts took the lead against their William Hill Championship visitors after just eight minutes when Lyall Cameron's corner was flicked on by Dante Polvara and Jack Milne nodded the ball home. It’s a goal which Raith goalkeeper Josh Rae will want to forget in a hurry as the ball was bundled beyond him into the net.

And Raith boss boss Imrie told BBC Scotland post match: “Obviously we’re disappointed to be out the Scottish Cup but I’m really proud of the group today, I thought they were excellent.

"Albeit the most important thing when you come to these places is the first 20 minutes and that’s when we lost the goal from a setplay and that’s what’s put us out the cup.

"I’m gutted because it was really poor on our part and defensively this season we’ve been excellent. Aberdeen have got a lot of height and that’s what’s put them through today.

"I thought as the game went on we got stronger, certainly second half I thought we were excellent. And a little bit of luck could have gone our way with a couple of ricochets. (Dimitar) Mitov’s had a really bad touch that nearly went in as well.

"On another day you get those breaks but it wasn’t to be. We probably lacked that cutting edge but I think that’s been the story of the group all season is just lack of goals in the team.

"We were excellent all through the game. Just one lack of concentration has killed us today.”

When asked if he felt Aberdeen’s Emmanuel Gyamfi was lucky to escape with just a yellow card for a first half foul on Dylan Easton, Imrie added: “I think so but I think the consensus was that he’d 70 yards still to run so with Dylan he might not have got there!”

Raith skipper Scott Brown bemoaned the “silly goal” his team conceded but praised the side for being “every bit as good” as the Dons.

"I’m really proud of the effort today,” skipper Brown told BBC Scotland. “I said before the game we were going to need 11 performances, boys coming off the bench.

"I thought we were really good there. I thought we were easily as good as them. On another day we probably could have won it. We just need to take more care in the final third.

"That’s the difference in quality when you come up the leagues. They’re a wee bit more clinical than we are. We lose a silly goal really. But I think overall we can be pleased with how we did.”

The overall match statistics showed that Aberdeen had 62% possession and 18 shots on goal to Rovers’ six. The away side competed well throughout though, but they struggled to threaten home goalkeeper Mitov who ironically looked most likely to concede a goal through defensive giveaways by the Dons.

The first example of this came on 13 minutes, when home players Nicky Devlin and Polvara got in a bit of mess and the latter's backheel was nearly behind Dimitar Mitov before the Dons goalkeeper palmed clear and it was hacked clear.

Just three minutes later, a terrible Leighton Clarkson backpass looked to be past Dimitar Mitov, but somehow the goalkeeper hacked the ball off the line.

Aberdeen: Mitov, Gyamfi (Frame 46), Milne, Polvara, Devlin, Clarkson (Aouchiche 75), Cameron (Heltne Nilsen 84), Milanovic (Karlsson 57), Armstrong (Shinnie 57), Keskinen, Nisbet.

Raith Rovers: Rae, Wilson, Hanlon, O'Connor, Rowe (Matthews 75), Doherty, Brown, Winter (McMullan 69), Easton (Montagu 69), Mullin (Nsio 81), Hamilton (Vaughan 82).

Referee: Kevin Clancy

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