Raith Rovers need to have a 'sense of perspective' after 4-4 draw with Ayr United keeps them five clear at top, reckons boss Ian Murray

That result at Stark’s Park saw the Kirkcaldy club drop points for the first time in five Championship outings, but with title rivals Dundee United also being forced to settle for a point at bottom club Queen’s Park, Murray’s men are still five points clear at the top of the pile.

"I don’t think that we really got firing,” the boss admitted to Raith TV after watching his side ship three goals while the visitors were down to ten men. “That can happen in football, especially when there is a level of expectancy on you after a really good away result (1-0 win at Dundee United) and especially at this time of year. It is a funny old time for football scores. That was another one tonight.

“I’m really happy with how we responded so quickly to going 1-0 down. Ayr United are quick and good on the counter attack. The game changes on the red card, which I think we can all agree was a red for a pretty poor challenge.

“We got the goal straight away which is unusual against ten men but I did stress to the players at half time that playing against ten or eleven men in this league, does it really make it a difference? A little bit but it is so end to end at times that anything can happen. We’ve seen that in three games this season already that we have been invovled in that teams can score.

“Losing three goals against ten men was disappointing obviously but on the flip side of it the character of the players was on show again. We never give up and our boys keep going. We keep a sense of perspective about it, we haven’t lost ground on Dundee United and we picked up a point. We do take this as a huge warning however.”

On the night, Lewis Vaughan was Rovers’ star man, netting a hat-trick that included two well-taken headed goals. After Sam Stanton’s first-half equaliser cancelled out Aidan McGeady’s goal on the half hour mark, Vaughan then put the hosts ahead just before half time with Sean McGinty being ordered off just one minute earlier for Lee Bullen’s side.

Striker Vaughan then struck home from the penalty spot to make it 3-3 after Logan Chalmers and Ben Dempsey had turned the game on its head. And in injury-time, top scorer Vaughan managed to head home another leveller to make it 4-4 after Ahkeem Rose’s effort on 85 minutes had snuck in under Kevin Dabrowski.

On the 28-year-old, who has had his career blighted by four separate ACL injuries, boss Murray hailed Vaughan for his ingenuity in the box.

“It was a brilliant hat-trick,” he explained. “For his height disadvantage against some big, strong centre-backs, he really does find himself in some excellent positions in the box and he is not just there. He has a real knack of finishing headers and he tries to find a way to beat the goalkeeper. His headers tonight were excellent. It is one of them, it is odd to have scored a hat-trick and to have been on the losing side.”

Raith Rovers’ unbeaten home record this season was also kept intact last Friday night, and they now go into their clash with Arbroath at Stark’s Park next Saturday looking to make it 15 Championship matches unbeaten.