'It could have been eight all' - Raith Rovers boss Ian Murray assesses 'crazy' 5-2 home loss to Queen's Park

Despite leading 1-0 through Aidan Connolly and creating other scoring chances, the Kirkcaldy side capitulated as Queen’s went 5-1 ahead with strikes by Simon Murray (2), Dom Thomas (2) and Jack Thomson. Connolly netted a late consolation.

“It was a really tough one to analyse straight after the game, a really tough game to dissect,” Murray told the Fife Free Press.

"As a manager I’ve probably not been involved in many games like that. No word of a lie, it could have been about eight all!

"Great for the neutral, not great for myself and Owen probably.

"The first five or 10 minutes I actually thought they started better. And then we score a great goal.

"It was very similar to the Partick Thistle game. I felt they started the game incredibly well, we scored a wonder goal and it changed the whole context of the situation.

"We did the same, we were in full control of the game and Queen’s were very sloppy in their possession. But I think that was because of how hard we were working, making them make mistakes.

"We looked like adding to our lead – no disrespect to Queen’s Park I think they would agree with that – and then we concede a free-kick 30 yards out and it goes in the goal.

"At that point maybe we should have shored it up, but we were playing so well that we kept going. Then we lose a deflected goal, find ourselves 2-1 down and half-time probably came at not a bad time for us to regroup.

"In the second-half it should have been 2-2 and then 20 seconds later you’re 3-1 down, very sloppy defending from us.

"I think we played exceptionally well going forward, probably our best attacking performance of the season on chances created and we just lacked that killer instinct in front of goal.

"We just have to dust ourselves down now, try and remain calm and positive.”

Murray said that a post mortem into Raith’s poor defending against Queen’s – and how the Stark’s Park team could improve on this – was discussed at training this week.

He added: "We had a good chat about that on Tuesday, a very positive chat with the players. Because I did feel they put 100% effort and commitment into the game.

"One thing I’ll really commend them on and I’m really happy about is not for one minute did they stop trying in that game.

"And that is a fantastic trait to have. I’d be far more worried if we'd lost 5-2 and boys had downed tools a wee bit because that can happen.

"In a bad situation and a bad result, that was a huge positive.

"We fully believed we could win the game. I still believe they are not better than us, albeit they have beaten us twice this season.

"We just have to strive to be a wee bit better in the attacking third, a wee bit better with our decision making and a wee bit more ruthless in the box and we’ll be fine.

"The players have recovered exceptionally well, as I expected them to, and they’ll be fine on Saturday (a home Scottish Cup third round fixture against Auchinleck Talbot).

Murray, who praised Queen’s Park’s hugely effective counter attacking and crisp passing, singled out his namesake Simon – two-goal hero for the visitors on Saturday – as the player who inflicted the most pain on Raith.

"He’s a very good striker,” the Stark’s Park supremo added. “He always has been, his movement and work-rate are a credit to himself.

"He did it to us in the play-offs last year at Airdrie, he’s very dangerous.

"I actually saw him on Sunday at a charity game. I did think Queen’s Park countered us exceptionally well, I did think Simon showed his experience and his quality but he wasn’t the only one.

"They had really good players in the forward areas, Josh McPake, Dom Thomas and Grant Savoury too."