Raith Rovers to kick off next Scottish Championship season away to Cove Rangers

The Scottish Professional Football League’s fixture lists for all four of its divisions are out now, and the schedule for the second tier will see new Rovers manager Ian Murray’s side heading up to Aberdeen on Saturday, July 30, for a game kicking off at 3pm.

The Championship’s other opening day matches are Ayr United v Arbroath, Dundee v Partick Thistle, Hamilton Academical v Morton and Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Queen’s Park.

Cove – now also under new management, Jim McIntyre having just taken over from Paul Hartley, now in charge south of the border at Hartlepool United – finished last season top of League 1 with 79 points from 36 games, with Raith, managed by John McGlynn at the time, ending up fifth in the tier above on 50 points from the same number of matches.

July 30’s game will be the sides’ first-ever league meeting as they’ve only played each other in the league cup before, with Cove winning two of their three ties and Raith the other.

Cove beat the Fifers 3-0 in July 2019 and 2-0 in July 2018 but lost 2-1 in July 2016 in that competition, all those games having been in Aberdeen at Station Park or Balmoral Stadium.

Kyle Benedictus and Lewis Vaughan were Raith’s scorers six years ago, with Ryan Stott netting for the Aberdonians. Daniel Park and Jamie Masson were Cove’s scorers in 2018 and Masson got on the scoresheet the year after too, along with Christian Antoniazzi and Declan Glass.

Rovers’ first home game at Stark’s Park in Kirkcaldy follows on Saturday, August 6, also at 3pm and it’s against Dundee, and they’re at home the following Saturday too, at the same time, Morton being their visitors.

Manager Gary Bowyer’s Dundee are also newcomers to the second tier, having been relegated from the Scottish Premiership this summer after going up the season before at Raith’s expense.

Honours were even between the teams that campaign, each winning two, with one drawn, though, crucially, Dundee got the better of Raith in the promotion play-offs, winning one 3-0 and losing the other 1-0.

Their preceding games that season were a 1-1 draw in October 2020, a 3-1 win for Rovers in January 2021 and a 2-1 loss in April of that year.

Raith’s festive season schedule sees Morton returning on Christmas Eve, followed by a trip to Hamilton on January 2, and their last match of the regular 2022/23 league season is at home to Partick Thistle on Friday, May 5, next year, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

Their full fixture list is as follows:

July

30: Cove Rangers away 3pm

August

6: Dundee at home 3pm

13: Morton at home 3pm

20: Hamilton Academical away 3pm

27: Partick Thistle away 3pm

September

3: Inverness Caledonian Thistle at home 3pm

10: Arbroath away 3pm

17: Ayr United at home 3pm

October

1: Queen’s Park away 3pm

8: Cove Rangers at home 3pm

15: Morton away 3pm

22: Inverness Caledonian Thistle away 3pm

29: Partick Thistle at home 3pm

November

5: Hamilton Academical at home 3pm

12: Dundee away 3pm

19: Queen’s Park at home 3pm

December

3: Ayr United away 3pm

17: Arbroath at home 3pm

24: Morton at home 3pm

January

2: Hamilton Academical away at 3pm

7: Dundee at home 3pm

14: Cove Rangers away at 3pm

28: Inverness Caledonian Thistle at home at 3pm

February

4: Arbroath away 3pm

18: Queen’s Park away 3pm

25: Ayr United at home 3pm

March

4: Partick Thistle away 3pm

11: Hamilton Academical at home 3pm

18: Cove Rangers at home 3pm

25: Dundee away 3pm

April

1: Queen’s Park at home 3pm

8: Inverness Caledonian Thistle away 3pm

15: Arbroath at home 3pm

22: Morton away 3pm

29: Ayr United away 3pm

May

5: Partick Thistle at home 7.45pm