Raith Rovers can go top of the Scottish Championship for the first time this season if they beat leaders Stenhousemuir away on Saturday. The second-placed side, with 20 points from 10 games, sit just two points behind their hosts in a tight title race.

Dougie Imrie, the Raith manager, enters the fixture with a quiet confidence drawn from his own past successes. He has won two Manager of the Month awards in consecutive seasons during his time at Greenock Morton. His opposite number, Marvin Bartley of Stenhousemuir, has claimed the same accolade for August and September this term. "Not really, Marvin’s on a par with me so if he picks up three awards he'll take over," Imrie said when asked if Bartley had the upper hand. The 43-year-old and the 40-year-old Bartley previously worked together as coaches at Livingston in 2021.

Stenhousemuir's stumble

Stenhousemuir's remarkable eight-match unbeaten run to start the season ended last Saturday with a 2-0 defeat at Inverness Caledonian Thistle. It was their first league loss and the first goal they had conceded from a set-piece all campaign. Bartley described his team's first-half display as nowhere near their usual level but praised a much-improved second-half reaction. He said his squad must bring that improved performance into the match against Raith Rovers.

Tactical adjustment

Imrie also highlighted a key tactical difference for the upcoming fixture. His team exploited a multi-ball system effectively in their recent 2-0 win over Queen's Park, a victory that featured goals from Scott Brown and Kieran Turner. For the trip to Ochilview Park, however, a one-ball system will be in operation. "You get the option at the start of pre-season whether you want multi-ball or one ball," Imrie explained. "This is one ball, so we just need to deal with that."

Raith Rovers' form has been strong, with three wins, a draw, and one loss in their last five matches, putting them on a two-game winning streak. Their last meeting with Stenhousemuir ended in a 1-1 draw back in August. A win this weekend would see them leapfrog their rivals, who have played one game fewer. Imrie acknowledged the challenge, noting the dry pitch conditions and expressing a hope for rain to make the surface slicker. The full fixtures list shows this as the standout game of the weekend in the Championship.

Imrie will be looking to his team to build on their recent efficiency, where they have scored 8 goals in their last 5 matches, averaging a goal every 56 minutes. Their next fixture after this title clash is a home game against Partick Thistle. The match kicks off at Ochilview Park this Saturday, with Raith Rovers aiming to seize control of the promotion race.

The original report is at Fife Today Football