Raith Rovers hoping for first league win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle for over 20 years

Raith Rovers loan striker Matej Poplatnik celebrating making it 2-1 to the Fifers during their 3-2 Scottish Championship defeat at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in March (Photo by Craig Brown/SNS Group)

Raith Rovers host Inverness Caledonian Thistle this coming Saturday hoping to add to the six points they’ve collected from their five Scottish Championship games so far this season.

If the Fifers are going to take all three points off their visitors at Kirkcaldy’s Stark’s Park, they’ll have to defy the form-book, though, as they’ve not beaten them in the league for 21 games and over 20 years, their last such victory being 2-1 away in the old Scottish Division 1 back in October 2000.

They’ve picked up single points from the Highlanders over recent years, however, having drawn twice in the league last season and once the season before.

Those were the sides’ only draws in their last 12 meetings in all competitions, seven of the others going Caley’s way and two, both via penalty shootouts, Raith’s.

Their last game was a 3-2 home defeat in the league in March after ending up with only nine players on the pitch, Kyle Benedictus being sent off on 71 minutes and Ben Williamson following suit just shy of the final whistle. Raith’s goals were scored by Aidan Connolly on 13 minutes and Matej Poplatnik on 30, with Caley’s replies coming from Shane Sutherland on 27 and current Dundee United forward Logan Chalmers on 89 and 90.

Thistle also left it late to add to their points tally in the match before, a 1-1 draw in the league at the Caledonian Stadium in January. Reece McAlear, now at Tranmere Rovers, equalised for the hosts with four minutes left to play after Ethan Ross had put Raith ahead 24 minutes in.

The preceding game, an SPFL Trust Trophy tie in November 2021, saw Rovers prevail 5-4 on penalties en route to victory in the final in April after being held to a goalless draw in open play in Inverness.

The sides’ two other league games last season were a 1-1 draw in Fife last October and a 1-0 defeat in the north east three months previously. The former saw Aidan Connolly net Raith’s only goal on 62 minutes and Ross Matthews red-carded on the stroke of half-time, with Sean Welsh equalising for the visitors on 79 minutes. The latter was won for the Highlanders by an 80th-minute Roddy Macgregor goal.

Caley won two of their three league meetings the season before – 1-0 in Fife in March 2021, following an 11th-minute sending-off for Iain Davidson, and 2-0 at home in November 2020 – and drew the other 0-0 at home, also in March.

Their scorers were Daniel Mackay on 50 minutes last time out and James Keatings on 19 and Scott Allardice on 68 in November.

The Caley Jags didn’t get things all their own way during the 2020/21 season, however, as Raith beat them 3-2 in a Scottish League Cup penalty shootout at Stark’s Park in November 2020 after ending up tied 3-3.

Manny Duku got two of Raith’s goals, on 11 and 90 minutes, the other being a 59th-minute Daniel Devine own goal. Thistle’s goals were scored by Sutherland on 24 minutes, Keatings on 67 and Macgregor on 69.

Raith go into this weekend’s game sitting sixth in Scottish football’s second tier with six points from five games, one point and two places better off than their visitors.