Nostalgia: Raith Rovers were walking on Ayr in 1999

This Division One clash took place on September 4, 1999 as the crowd of 2,368 watched John McVeigh’s Rovers run riot over Ayr United, who had Raith legend Gordon Dalziel squirming in the away dugout as his side crashed to a heavy defeat.

It was a welcome boost for the home side who had suffered a horror show of their own in their previous league game at Stark’s Park – a 6-0 thumping at the hands of St. Mirren.

But there was no chance of the points leaving Kirkcaldy on this occasion, as Rovers were in the driving seat from the off and go the scoring underway with an early goal.

Marvin Andrews got on the end of a corner from Jay Stein and Craig Dargo hooked in from almost on the goal-line after just seven minutes to give Rovers a great start.

However that was how the scoring remained until after the hour mark when, on 61 minutes, Alex Burns drilled a low shot into the corner from 18 yards.

There was no stopping Rovers now and two minutes later Dargo got a second through yet another assist from fans’ favourite Big Marv.

The defender found himself wide on the left after a free kick, raced past a defender into the box and cut the ball back for Dargo to knock in his second.

Incredibly just 60 seconds later the home side added a fourth.

Stein made an almost carbon copy of Andrews’ run down the left and this time it was Didier Agathe _ who had hit a hat trick the previous weekend in a 4-1 win away at Airdrie who was on the end of the cross to make it four.

Ayr were now completely shell-shocked, while the home fans celebrated in a mixture of ecstasy and disbelief.

United had dominated the opening 15 minutes of the second half in a search for an equaliser that hadn’t come and when they did eventually find the net on 81 minutes through and Alex Bone it was little more than a consolation, though it was difficult to call it even that.

However, on a day when the sun shone so brightly that the temperature soared into the 70s, it was inevitable that Rovers would have the last word.

Substitute Andy Clark had been on the field barely two minutes in place of Agathe when he turned in a Burns cross from 12 yards to score his first league goal for the club.

It could have been more as Dargo almost had himself a hat-trick with a spectacular, well-executed volley which also flew narrowly too high.

Raith: Coyle, McEwan, Kirkwood, Andrews, Browne, Black, Agathe (Clark 87), S. Tosh (P. Tosh 82), Dargo, Burns, Stein. Sub not used: Hamilton.