Weather the winner as Raith Rovers held to a draw in Stranraer

Raith Rovers boss John McGlynn reckoned the only winner at Stair Park on Saturday was the weather, but in reality, he would be relieved to return from a less-than-happy hunting ground relatively unscathed.

"It wasn't a game of football," he opined afterwards.

"You've got the wind on one hand, and the pitch wasn't great either, so it's coming at you from both sides.

"You're looking for a break; we got one in the first half, they got one in the second, so it's a point."

He didn't get the three points he wanted to open up a six-point lead on rivals Falkirk, but at least he didn't lose.

That was largely due to a piece of first-half opportunism by veteran striker John Baird, who snatched the lead for Rovers when they really hadn't laid a glove on Stranraer.

The strike was very welcome, because Rovers do not have a great record at Stair Park in recent seasons.

Prior to this match, they had paid five visits to the ground in the past two and a half years, and had only recorded one victory, and that was the penultimate match of season 2017/18 when first-half headers from Euan Murray and Liam Buchanan set them on their way to a 3-0 win, cemented by a late goal from Lewis Vaughan.

Since then, Stranraer recorded two draws last season, and hit Rovers with two late goals back in mid-August last year to win 3-2.

Manager John McGlynn admitted before the match that it would be a difficult game, with Stranraer unbeaten in four, all of which had been drawn, but added that Rovers were in a good place, were determined to maintain their place at the top of the table, and whichever team wanted it more would probably get the three points.

The news that top scorer Keiron Bowie had signed a pre-season deal with Fulham. and the prospect of a Caramel Wafer Cup semi-final against Partick Thistle next Friday had no effect on the manager - he named the same side as edged past Airdrie last week, which meant teenager Dylan Tait retained his place.

The home side are fighting for survival, and they went at Rovers from the start.

Within two minutes, Robbie Thomson was punching an Andy Stirling cross away under pressure from eager forwards.

The home side bossed the early exchanges, and it was 25 minutes before home keeper Max Currie was called into action, easily dealing with a backheel attempt from Baird.

Several Rovers' efforts sailed high, wide and less than handsome before Baird pounced on 37 minutes after he chased a through ball which caught out the home defence, rounded Currie and slotted home.

That seemed to settle Raith, and they reached the interval without any alarms.

Stranraer were straight out the traps from the re-start, and were rewarded on 52 minutes when Michael Miller was deemed to have tripped Blues' full back Jordan Allan after he'd played a neat 1-2 with Andy Stirling, and after managing to fix the ball on the spot without it getting blown away, Ryan Stevenson converted against his former club.

And Raith didn't manage another effort on target after that, while the Blues threw everything at them in the hope of a winner, but it finished honours even.

Both sides deserve credit for giving it their all in trying conditions, with rain driving in for the final 15 minutes as well.

From a Raith perspective, the penalty seemed a soft award, and Miller felt he was hard done by.

"I didn't think it was," he said later. "I thought I got the ball, but it's not my place to say. It's not going to change the outcome."

"Whether it was or it wasn't, it's one of these situations," added McGlynn.

"Look, it wasn't a great game. We knew what to expect from earlier in the week.

"We got the game we expected, and unfortunately, the conditions were the winner and we didn't get the result we wanted."