Lewis Vaughan hat-trick steers Raith Rovers to historic Scottish Cup win over Dunfermline

All week Raith Rovers fans have been reminiscing over their most memorable Fife derbies ... now they have another to add to the collection after a stunning Scottish Cup triumph over arch-rivals Dunfermline.

A 12-minute hat-trick from Lewis Vaughan will go down in folklore - a real I was there moment - as the home end at Stark's Park, packed with over 3200 fans in a total crowd of 6000, rocked and roared at its loudest and most raucous for many a year.

Some of the celebrations went over the top, with flares thrown onto the pitch after the opening goal causing damage to the artificial surface - a reckless act which also resulted in a supporter suffering burns to their clothing - but for the vast majority, it was all about sheer enjoyment.

For Raith manager John McGlynn, the end result was better than he could have hoped for, but his team had to negotiate some real difficult and strenuous periods in the game before a 54th minute red card for Dunfermline defender Lee Ashcroft.

Even then, the 10 men were still having the better of things until another decision went against the Pars - and they could have no complaints - as a penalty was conceded, and duly dispatched by Vaughan, to turn the game in Rovers' favour.

Aside from the all-important bragging rights, Raith can now look forward to the draw for the last 16, which takes place tomorrow at 4.30 p.m.

McGlynn made just one change from the side that drew 1-1 with Airdrie the previous week, bringing Nathan Flanagan in and dropping Liam Buchanan to the bench.

The opening exchanges were somewhat cagey with both sides restricted to pot shots from long range, but the longer the half wore on, the more it became apparent that Dunfermline were the team from the division above.

Their passing was quicker, their movement superior, and Rovers had a tough time keeping the ball out of their half.

When they did venture forward, a neat exchange between Calum Crane and Flanagan down the left ended with the latter sending in a cross which Vaughan knocked wide from 12 yards.

At the other end Myles Hippolyte sent a 25-yard free-kick narrowly wide, while the pace and movement of Faissal El Bakhtaoui was causing problems for the home defence, albeit without an end product.

The Pars would have made their pressure count in the 36th minute were it not for a jaw-dropping save from Robbie Thomson that ranks alongside that famous Davie McGurn save at East End Park in 2009, particularly given its importance to the overall outcome.

After an El Bakhtaoui shot was blocked by Iain Davidson, the ball fell to Hippolyte in front of a gaping goal, but somehow, the Raith 'keeper appeared as if from nowhere, flying across his goal to make a one-handed save that had the South Stand on its feet celebrating as if a goal had been scored.

McGlynn would have been glad to get his charges inside at the break for a chance to work on the gameplan, but Dunfermline simply picked up where they left off as they started the second half on the front foot.

Their monopoly of possession was helped by the home side, who were unable to string any more than one or two passes together before giving it back to a black and white jersey.

Either the occasion was getting to the players, or Dunfermline, playing at a Championship pace, were simply to quick to close them down.

But what Raith were lacking in the quality of their play, they were making up for with hard work and tenacity, traits that will always serve you well even if you're not having a particularly good game.

Helped by a terrific support, they battled hard to keep the Pars at bay, preventing any clear goal-scoring opportunities, although El Bakhtaoui should have done better with a couple of efforts from the edge of the box, while Davidson stopped a goal-bound Jackson Longridge effort with a brilliant block.

And the graft paid off in the last half hour of the game when Dunfermline self-destructed, starting with the red card on 54 minutes.

Defender Ashcroft allowed a ball to bounce over his foot, presenting Chris Duggan with a clear run on goal, and after bundling the striker to the ground, referee Bobby Madden was left with no other choice than to brandish a red card.

Duggan's influence in the transforming the game continued in the 68th minute as he was manhandled in the box by substitute defender Mark Durnan as the pair challenged for a high ball, and again the ref punished the Pars by pointing to the spot.

Vaughan placed the ball, and after delaying tactics from goalkeeper Lee Robinson which earned him a yellow card, the striker held his nerve in front of an expectant South Stand by burying his shot into the corner of the net.

After a delay to clear the flares from the pitch, Raith were now a transformed team, the goal giving them the confidence to play the possession game that was required against 10 men, and culminating in a superb second goal on 78 minutes.

Duggan was again at the heart of things, chasing a ball down the right all the way to the by-line before sending over a terrific cross that was met by the flying Vaughan for a diving headed finish, and the South Stand simply erupted.

The decibel levels went off the scale just two minutes later when Vaughan completed his hat-trick - his first in senior football - pouncing on hesitancy in the Pars defence to race clear and smash an emphatic finish beyond Robinson.

The match ball, and a place in Fife derby history, was his.

Rovers fans could then sing their way through the final 10 minutes, safe in the knowledge there was no way back for Dunfermline, while the away end emptied at a rapid rate.

After a number of big let downs in front of big crowds over the past few years, this was exactly what the club and its supporters needed.

The challenge now for the team is to build on the feel-good factor by going on to win promotion back to the Championship, by whatever means.