Raith Rovers boss Ian Murray on his side's shock defeat of 2023-2024 at Arbroath: 'Friends have asked me if I still have sleepless nights about it'

After winning 2-1 at home to Ayr United on Saturday, second-placed Raith go into tonight’s home league game against Airdrieonians (kick-off 7.45pm) four points behind leaders Dundee United with a game in hand. But the Tangerines’ advantage over the Kirkcaldy outfit would currently be just a single point had Rovers not blown a 2-0 lead at Gayfield to concede three times in the final half hour of that fateful Friday evening just over five weeks ago.

"A couple of friends have asked me if I have sleepless nights about that Arbroath game," Murray told the Fife Free Press. "But I look back at the games we have won.

"Over the course of a 36-game season we'll always look back on games where we think we could have got more and there's always going to be games where you come off and you're scratching your head wondering how you've managed to lose.

"I don't really think like that. I tend to look at how many points we've picked up, the number of away wins we've had, last minute goals where frankly the games could have been draws or defeats and they weren't.

"So I think our highs or positives this season definitely outweigh the games where we've dropped points. There are always low points in football.

"I think Livingston away was one because we played really well, deserved to win the game but we didn't and it was the same at Arbroath.

"We've not had many games where we've sat around a table and thought: 'What's going on? How bad are we and what are we going to do?' We've just had frustration and disappointment.

"I think when you play badly, don't merit a win and you lose you can handle that more than being pretty good, missing chances and being sucker punched. And that's what happened in both those games."