Raith Rovers: VAR, flares, and noisy, packed stands for play-off final

All that was missing was the mud on account of Raith having a state of the art artificial pitch which could be outlawed even before they secure entry to the top flight by a vote of SPFL teams.

Asked if Thursday’s game would have gone ahead had Stark’s Park had a grass pitch, a soaked-to-the-skin Raith boss Ian Murray said: “no chance” before adding with a wry smile, "that's why plastic pitches are rubbish, eh?"

The club’s biggest hurdle to Premiership football may lie in a ballot in which they have no say, but Thursday’s immediate task in hand centred on a pitch that was absolutely no impediment to a cracking game of football in the most challenging of conditions.

On a night when even the pigeon donned emergency rain ponchos, Kirkcaldy’s own Theatre of Dreams was packed, noisy and more than willing to to be drenched to the souls of its boots as it roared and sang throughout this play-off final first leg tie against Ross County. A 2-1 defeat wasn’t what they wanted, but Sam Stanton’s second half goal may yet be a lifeline when the teams reconvene in Dingwall for an absurdly early midday kick-off on Sunday. If Rovers are to prevail, they’ll take it to the wire - and , if they do, then it will cap a season filled with memorable highs and incredible wins.

Big games, of course, mean a big media presence - it’s been a while since TV gantries were built in the old enclosure - and big queues snaking down the ramp leading to the main stand before kick-off. They were still outside when the old PA system burst into life with a thundering Hey Ho Let’s Go from The Ramones - a belter of a tune to start with - while Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory perfectly caught the sense of anticipation, and the weight of the moment.

A full throttle rendition of Geordie Munro got things underway, but the nerves in the stand were mirrored on the pitch where Raith created little until late on when they started to have a real, and direct go, at County’s defence. By then they were 2-0 down, but far from out. If they’s started they way they finished, this game might have had a different outcome...

A VAR review sparked the fans into life with a little ditty - let’s just say they don’t like it! - and the County penalty it led to saw the second flare of the night lobbed on to the pitch, adding a pall of blue smoke to the green surface. Seriously, who takes a flare to a fitba’ game? This bampottery needs to end.

But this first leg defeat still ended on a positive note with Stanton’s excellent finish of a fine defence-splitting pass; the sort of quick movement and sharp execution needed on Sunday when it comes down to one winner takes all game.

You can’t win a play-off in just one game, but you can lose it. Stanton’s strike ensured that wasn’t the outcome. After a soaking on Thursday, Rovers’ fans deserve a day in the sun this weekend.