Raith Rovers made to pay penalty for second league cup game on trot

That was the Fifers’ second stalemate and spot-kick loss on the bounce in this football season’s Premier Sports Cup group stage, arriving four days after a goalless draw away to William Hill Premiership outfit Kilmarnock, that ensuing shootout having gone the way of their East Ayrshire hosts by 4-2.

Penalties haven’t gone entirely against manager Dougie Imrie’s Kirkcaldy club, however, as a 26th-minute spot-kick by captain Lewis Vaughan past home goalkeeper Dean Lyness, awarded for a foul on John Robertson by Cameron Blues, put them ahead at the weekend at New Douglas Park.

That lead didn’t last long, though, as Blues made amends for the foul that left the William Hill League One hosts trailing six minutes later by knocking in a rebound off visiting No 1 Josh Rae’s crossbar following a Dom Thomas shot.

Accies’ equaliser was one of four shots on target, four times as many as Raith managed.

Saturday’s result was the first time Rovers have failed to get the better of Accies since a 3-3 draw at home at Stark’s Park back in September 2024, having beaten them four times in the interim – by 5-2 last December and 2-0 ten months earlier at home and 3-0 in March and January 2025 away.

Imrie, 42, was disappointed to see his side come up short again, telling their Facebook page: “We had good moments and we had poor moments.

“We got off to the best possible start. We got ahead, but then you’re always wary of the next five to ten minutes because that’s when you’re at your most vulnerable.

“I’d spoken about not allowing Dom Thomas into the middle of the pitch but we allowed him to get the ball on his stronger foot where he wanted to be and he crashed a shot off the bar, and we didn’t follow in for the rebound and it was an easy tap-in. That’s the bit that disappoints me the most because I’d been telling them about key players and their strengths and we just didn’t deal with that.

“That kind of killed us a wee bit. We were on the back foot throughout the game, and the second half probably went the way we would have expected.

“I’m really disappointed because I expect more from the group.

“We’ve got a really good group here but on that showing, we weren’t good enough.

“We were very flat in the second half. The only opportunities we had were two half-chances, one for Vaughny, one for Zak Delaney at the end.

“There weren’t enough people wanting to run beyond their defence or showing bravery on the ball in the middle.

“It was a really frustrating day. We’ve got a very good squad that should have been capable of coming here and winning and that’s the bit that frustrates me. It’s a game we should have won.

“We didn’t do enough. I don’t think we had enough people running forward.

“We looked tired in the second half, if I’m being honest, and that’s a worry so early in the season. We need more.”

Next up for Raith as they continue their build-up to the forthcoming William Hill Championship season is another league cup game this Tuesday, at home to Peterhead, with kick-off at 7.45pm, followed by a friendly hosting Heart of Midlothian this Friday starting quarter of an hour earlier.