Penalty earns Raith Rovers first points of new season versus Partick Thistle

A 27th-minute Dylan Easton penalty past on-loan Watford goalkeeper Myles Roberts, awarded for a foul in the box on Lewis Gibson by Wasiri Williams, was the only difference between the two teams but it was enough to earn Raith their first points of the new Scottish Championship season in front of a crowd of just over 4,000 after getting off to a losing start, by the same scoreline, away to Airdrieonians seven days previously.

Visiting manager Kris Doolan’s side are yet to register their first goal of the new season after drawing 0-0 at home to Greenock Morton the Saturday before and Rovers’ tally for this term is just one better as they could only muster six shots on target to their visitors’ ten despite having a numerical advantage for the last quarter of an hour, courtesy of a red card for Scott Robinson for fouling Aidan Connolly.

Their three-point haul sees Raith sitting fourth in the table ahead of a two-week break from championship action as they look to recruit a new manager following Ian Murray’s sacking the Sunday prior.

Rovers’ next league match is away to table-toppers Ayr United, level on six points from two fixtures with second-placed Falkirk, on Saturday, August 24, with kick-off at 3pm.

Club technical director John Potter was pleased to get his stint as co-caretaker manager off to a winning start, alongside assistant gaffer Colin Cameron, telling Raith TV afterwards: “It was a really difficult game.

“I thought we struggled to start the game for ten to 15 minutes and couldn’t really get going, but in those moments it’s really important that you don’t give away too many opportunities and you battle away and you work hard, and we did that and then we got into the game for the rest of the first half.

“In the second half I would describe us as battling. I didn’t think we were too pretty. I think we can be loads better on the ball, but in terms of fighting and covering for each other and defending our box, it was really, really good.

“It was everything you’d want and sometimes it takes performances like that to get a win, so I’m delighted with the win.

“Our performance with the ball could have been a lot better and it will be, but without the ball we worked ever so hard and I’m delighted with the three points.”

Potter, 44, was pleased with the way his side coped with the injury-enforced absences of the likes of Scott Brown, Lewis Vaughan, Callum Fordyce, Jack Hamilton and Paul Hanlon, saying: “They were a lot bigger than us and stronger becuase of our players out injured, so we had to defend and we did that really, really well and I’m delighted with our performance.

“Today was a battling performance but we can play as well.

“We’ve got guys out injured but we’ll have three back, fingers crossed, before the Ayr United game and a couple out slightly longer.”