Raith Rovers 1-1 Arbroath: Rovers pegged back after being gifted 1-0 lead by own goal

Ian Murray’s Kirkcaldy outfit were gifted a sixth-minute lead when a cross from the right by Raith’s Ross Millen was volleyed past outrushing Arbroath goalkeeper Derek Gaston by Red Lichties defender Ricky Little for an own goal.

Just two minutes later, there was a long break in play as Arbroath’s Dylan Tait sustained an injury which eventually resulted in him being stretchered off

Raith held their one-goal lead until the 45th-minute when a long free-kick from the right by Florent Hoti was headed home by Colin Hamilton, who beat Rovers defender Ryan Nolan to the ball.

And the visitors almost snatched the lead in first-half stoppage time when Marcel Oakley flashed a ball across goal from the right but the ball evaded the far post of home keeper Andy McNeil, still between the sticks in place of Jamie MacDonald who has been struggling with a shoulder knock.

Into the second-half and McNeil made a great double save to deny Arbroath’s Bobby Linn and then another Hamilton header after 50 minutes.

There was then a fantastic run and piece of skill by Arbroath’s Oakley on 71 minutes but his cutback was blocked in the box.

Arbroath had the better of a poor second-half before Raith almost won it in the last minute when a Connor O’Riordan header following a corner from the right was cleared off the line by an Arbroath defender.

Speaking to Raith TV after the match, Rovers boss Murray said: “I felt it was a really poor game. It wasn’t a good spectacle, not a lot of quality on show from either side.

"That falls on ourselves and the players obviously from Raith Rovers’ point of view.

"We got our goal with our first foray up the park which should have settled the players down.

"In the main first-half we were pretty settled then we lose a goal on the stroke of half-time which is criminal at a setplay from a wide area where we have to be more aggressive and we have to be better at that.

"Second-half I thought they looked very dangerous on the counter attack until the last 20 minutes when we kind of had them penned in a little bit. But we had no creativity, we had no passes through to our strikers and our only real opportunity for that fell in the last minute.

"When you are 1-0 up at home and you are in the front foot you have to be water tight at the back.

"We controlled the vast majority of the game but we didn’t give our strikers – and we haven’t given our strikers – great service throughout the season so far.

"The players are trying very hard, they’re trying everything and they’re going to make mistakes. And there were a lot of mistakes today unfortunately but they’re not out there trying to do that.

"They’re trying to find that pocket of space, they’re trying to find that through ball and they got a wee bit nervous in the game as well I felt. They maybe lost their confidence a little bit so we need to build that up.”