Sam Stanton goes fourth to earn Raith Rovers a point at Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray congratulating his players at full-time after their 1-1 draw at Inverness Caledonian Thistle on Saturday (Photo by Simon Wootton/SNS Group)

Raith Rovers’ two-decade-plus wait for a league win against Inverness Caledonian Thistle goes on, now stretching to 23 games over almost 22 years, but manager Ian Murray was happy enough to come away from the Highlands with a point.

A 13th-minute Sam Stanton goal, a rebound off the post from a Dylan Easton shot giving him his fourth of the season, was cancelled out by a Robbie Deas header, his first goal since 2020, seven minutes ahead of half-time and that was how the scoreline stayed, giving the Fifers their first draw of the current Scottish Championship campaign.

That point apiece sees the Kirkcaldy side stay seventh in the table, on 16 points from 12 games, and lifted their hosts up into pole position.

Next up for Raith is a visit to Stark’s Park from second-placed Partick Thistle this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.

Thistle's George Oakley and Raith Rovers' Connor O'Riordan in action on Saturday (Photo by Simon Wootton/SNS Group)

Rovers manager Ian Murray was impressed by the shift put in by his injury-hit side at the Caledonian Stadium, rating it as one of their best of the season so far.

“I thought we were really good at times,” he told Raith TV. “We played some really good football. We got forward and our full-backs were getting high up the park.

“We are disappointed to a certain extent but we’re also very happy with how we played.

“In the first half, we dominated the game, scored an early goal and made a really good start to the match.

Caley's George Oakley and Raith Rovers' Kyle Connell competing for the ball on Saturday (Photo by Simon Wootton/SNS Group)

“I’m disappointed not to have won the game. It’s not the worst point in the world – we’ve finally got a draw on the board – but overall I felt we were the better side.

“I really enjoyed the game. I thought Inverness played some decent stuff too. It was an entertaining game.

“We had opportunities to win the game.

“Overall, I’m very pleased with the players.

Thistle's David Carson and Raith Rovers' Kieran Ngwenya vying for possession on Saturday (Photo by Simon Wootton/SNS Group)

“Both teams will be fairly happy with a point and they’ll be quite happy with the game.

“We haven’t got the amount of points I feel our play deserved but we’re showing a little bit of toughness now.

“It’s a very hard place to come, but we know that. Every team know that. They’re top of the league for a reason. They play good stuff and they’re stuffy at the back as well, so I’m not too disappointed.

“I’m really happy with our performance. I thought it was probably one of our best performances of the season so far, if not our best. We were really solid defensively and quick on the counter-attack at times.

Caley's David Carson going past Raith Rovers' Brad Spencer during their sides' Scottish Championship match on Saturday (Photo by Simon Wootton/SNS Group)

“Never at any point did we look flustered. We never panicked. We kept our cool.

“We know we need to brush up at the top end of the park – we understand that – but we’re creating plenty of chances, which is great, and confidence is coming.”

Murray made only one change to his starting 11 from the line-up that had beaten Arbroath 1-0 three days previously, Kyle Connell replacing Danish striker John Frederiksen.

Frederiksen, 26, was one of six players out injured, with a hamstring niggle.

“John was feeling his hamstring, and with hamstrings you can’t take any risks because if you make the wrong call, then you’re looking at four, five or maybe even six weeks out,” said Murray.