Raith Rovers stay top after making hard work of win over Forfar

Raith Rovers held onto top spot in League One but they made hard work of this win over relegation-threatened Forfar Athletic.

An early opener from Dan Armstrong gave the home side the platform to build from, but it took until the introduction of John Baird with 15 minutes left, who scored with virtually his first touch, to settle home nerves.

The loss of a precious clean sheet deep into injury-time highlighted the importance of that second goal as Rovers allowed concentration to wane, a moment which clearly irked John McGlynn on the touchline.

The Raith manager was particularly animated throughout the 90 minutes as he continually pushed his players for better.

In the end they got the job the done, but they will need to do a more convincing job of killing teams off during the run-in to avoid what could be a fatal slip-up.

Aside from goalkeeper Ross Munro taking the place of injured Robbie Thomson, Rovers fielded an unchanged side from the midweek draw with Falkirk, not surprising given most observers felt it had been a good performance from the home side.

They didn't start this game particularly well, with numerous loose passes and touches allowing Forfar a couple of early shots on goal, Gary Irvine going closest with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

Rovers were taking time to settle, but from their first meaningful attack on nine minutes, they took the lead.

Steven MacLean won a flick-on, and a touch from Kieron Bowie took the ball into the path of Armstrong, who had drifted in from the left.

He was too quick and nimble for the defender as he sped through on goal before sending a composed finish beyond Marc McCallum into the far corner.

Rovers went on to dominate first half possession, and in doing so got themselves into several promising positions, particularly down the left with Armstrong cutting inside and Kieran MacDonald overlapping, but the end product was missing.

They were almost punished on 28 minutes when Michael Miller conceded possession down the right and Bobby Barr's cross found Scott Robertson free at the back post, but his header ended up on the roof of the net, sparing Rovers the ignominy of two former players combining to score against them.

A couple of long range shots from Armstrong - the home side's most dangerous player - forced McCallum into action, while Bowie was off target with two attempts from inside the box, with the youngster continuing to look a little out of sorts since agreeing his move to Fulham.

Rovers had been been on the front foot pushing for a second goal towards half-time and had they continued with the same drive and determination after the break they would have almost certainly put this game to bed a lot earlier.

However, they allowed their tempo to drop, giving Forfar all the encouragement they needed to have a go, and Rovers started to flirt with disaster.

There was a heart-in-mouth moment on 54 minutes when Kyle Benedictus was caught under a high ball, and as Steven Doris raced through, Ross Munro came well off his line to meet him.

The goalkeeper did just enough to force the striker wide before diving at his feet to prevent him scoring - good goalkeeping in the end but it was a warning.

A similar situation repeated itself just a few minutes later with a lack of communication between Benedictus and Munro almost allowing Doris in, but again, when well out of his goal, the young stopper did just enough to avert the danger.

A game that Rovers had been dominating was now on a knife-edge, with not enough positive play happening for the liking of the home fans, who were beginning to get restless, no doubt aware that title rivals Falkirk were 3-0 up and cruising at home to Peterhead.

Tony Dingwall was first off the bench, replacing Bowie, but it was the arrival of Baird on 75 minutes for Armstrong that proved decisive.

Brad Spencer was the architect with a glorious ball over the top of the Forfar defence, which Baird controlled on the turn before picking his spot past McCallum.

His immediate impact does lead you to question why he was dropped in the first place, considering his form had been good.

The arrival of the substitutes, and a change of shape, allowed Rovers to regain a firm foothold in the game, with Forfar now resembling a well beaten side.

Even though the visitors had clearly given up, Rovers still managed to concede in the last minute of injury-time.

A simple ball over the top was allowed to bounce through to Connor Coupe who smashed it low past Munro from just inside the box.

The final whistle blew almost straight after the restart, sparing Rovers from any tense final moments, but the celebrations were a little more subdued than they would have been had the clean sheet been maintained.

This was a match that could, and should, have been won more handsomely, but for all the frustrations, Rovers held their nerve and got the job done.

Points, not performances will be what ultimately decides the destination of the title.