Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray tells of embarrassment over goal by substitute goalkeeper that helped earned a point for Arbroath

The Fifers’ 2-2 draw at home at Kirkcaldy’s Stark’s Park at the weekend might have been their 15th match on the trot unbeaten in all competitions but that’s not good enough, especially coming eight days after a 4-4 draw at home to Ayr United, according to Murray.

Rovers had looked to be on course for their 13th win of the current Scottish Championship season after going 2-0 in front just past the hour mark.

Former Arbroath midfielder Dylan Easton, loaned out to the Red Lichties by St Johnstone for a month at the end of 2014, put them ahead on 34 minutes with a right-footed shot inside the box from a Lewis Vaughan assist.

Another ex-Arbroath loan signing, striker Jack Hamilton, sent out to Gayfield Park by Livingston in 2021 and 2022, doubled their advantage on 61 minutes, beating visiting goalkeeper Derek Gaston with a close-range from an Aidan Connolly assist.

That should have been that but an unlikely twist in the tale saw substitute goalkeeper Ali Adams, brought off the bench as a makeshift striker after Aaron Steele was forced off injured just ahead of the hour mark, turn the game in the visitors’ favour.

Their manager, Jim McIntyre, was forced to turn to the back-up keeper to play up front as he’d used up all three of his outfield substitutes by then after making a double change at half-time.

Few, if any at all, of the 3,806 fans watching would have expected that maverick move to reap the dividends it did, but Adams, signed by Arbroath from East of Scotland Football League premier division outfit Musselburgh Athletic in the summer and, until then, yet to make an appearance for his new employers, defied expectations with a 30-odd-yard strike past home goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski on 76 minutes to get his side back into the game.

That sparked a comeback yielding a penalty, awarded for a handball by home captain Scott Brown, put away by Leighton McIntosh five minutes later.

Murray reverted to three at the back in an effort to secure a third goal after that setback but it wasn’t forthcoming, forcing him to settle for a fifth draw of the season.

Telling Raith TV of his frustration afterwards, the 42-year-old said: “We went 2-0 up but, as I’ve seen too many times this season, we got a wee bit complacent and we thought we were a wee bit too good for the opposition.

“It was a disappointing game for us in terms of the scoreline. Maybe down the line, we can look back and say a point’s all right, but at the moment it doesn’t feel like that for me and it doesn’t feel like that for the players.

“It’s all on us because how we can be 2-0 up against a team near the bottom of the league at home and cruising yet come out of that with a 2-2 draw is just bewildering.”

Reflecting on Adams’ goal, he added: “No disrespect to the guy but he’s a sub goalkeeper and he came on and scored a 30-yard goal – it’s embarrassing for myself and it’s embarrassing for the players. People will say it’s a wonderful strike but the bottom line is that it’s embarrassing.”