Raith Rovers secured a vital 2-1 win away at Greenock Morton to maintain their position in the Scottish Championship title race. The victory at Cappielow on Saturday extended their unbeaten run against their rivals to seven fixtures and moved them up to second place in the table with 17 points from nine games, just five points behind leaders Stenhousemuir.
Jai Rowe gave the visitors the lead in the 16th minute, but Michael Garrity equalised for a managerless Morton side early in the second half. The decisive moment came in the 67th minute when Dylan Easton's low drive was turned home by George Oakley for the winner. Goalkeeper Josh Rae made four important saves to preserve the three points.
How the match unfolded
The match started with Morton, under interim bosses Michael O’Halloran and Gary Miller following Ian Murray's midweek departure, showing early intent. Cammy Ballantyne made a key block to deny Scott Tiffoney. Raith Rovers grew into the game and took the lead when Rowe finished after a period of pressure. Morton failed to register a shot on target in the first half but levelled eight minutes after the restart, Garrity converting Ballantyne's pass.
The game turned back in Raith's favour just after the hour. Easton, who had earlier forced a brilliant save from Brian Kinnear, saw his powerful shot parried into the path of Oakley, who made no mistake. Morton pushed for another equaliser, with Callum Sandilands seeing a volley saved by Rae's legs and Dylan Borso firing over in added time, but the defence held firm.
Manager Dougie Imrie was pleased with the response from his team. "First and foremost, I’m delighted to get the three points," he said. "It’s a good start. To come and win today and have 17 points after the first quarter of the season is a really good start."
They now turn their attention to a home fixture against Queen's Park next Saturday. Queen's Park currently sit ninth, and Raith will be looking to build on their 2-1 win against them from early August. The match at Stark's Park kicks off at 3pm.
The original report is at Fife Today Football
Raith Rovers manager Dougie Imrie said Dylan Easton is expected to miss Saturday's match against Queen's Park after sustaining an ankle injury in the 2-1 win at Morton. Imrie described the challenge by Morton's Grant Gillespie as a "stonewall" penalty that was not given. "His ankle is like a water balloon," Imrie said on Tuesday. Raith Rovers are second in the Championship with 17 points from nine games.
Raith Rovers defender Jai Rowe, who scored the opening goal in Saturday's 2-1 win at Morton, said he aims to continue his scoring form. Rowe told the Fife Free Press, "I really want to get in among the goals this year." The right-back has three league goals this season for the side, who are second in the Championship with 17 points from nine games.
