15th May 2019 Raith Rovers v Queen of the South. 1-3
First leg of the Championship play-off Final. In an all League One tie Raith had beaten Forfar in the semi final while Queens, who finished second bottom in the Champoinship, defeated League One Montrose. We had been child-minding in the afternoon and did not arrive home until 17.30. However managed to rush down a meal and get down to Haymarket Station to catch the 18.46 train to Kirkcaldy. The train only stops at Edinburgh Gateway and Inverkeithing before arriving at Kirkcaldy at 19.19. A fifteen minute stroll and I arrived at the ground. While in the queue to get in I met an old neighbour, Douglas, who now resides in Troon. He is a Queen of the South (QoS) fan and was hoping they could retain their place in the Championship by winning the play-off final. After paying £14 admission I took my seat just as the teams were coming onto the field. Raith Rovers played their club song, Geordie Munro, which i remember learning at primary school. With lines like, "oh no no no Geordie Munro, Oh no no my wee laddie, I don't want to go to Idaho I'd rather stay here in Kirkcaldy" I cannot see it being a chart-topper.
QoS sacked manager Gary Naysmith, an ex-Hearts player, after the league season ended. They then brought in former boss Alan Johnston, another ex-Hearts player, and he lead the side which beat Montrose 6-2 on aggregate in the first play-off. Stephen Dobbie has set a new QoS scoring record with forty-three goals this season, including a hat-trick against Montrose, and is the main threat in the QOS side. Raith also have an ex-Hearts management team with John McGlynn, former Hearts coach and manager, in charge and Paul Smith, a former Hearts player, as his assistant. Raith recently bought in Hibs Under-20 forward Jamie Gullan on loan and he scored his first senior goal in the play-off against Forfar. He makes me feel old as I knew him when he was a child as his parents lived in the same street as us.
The match started with Raith having most of the possession but other than an early shot from around twenty-five yards from Kevin Nisbet which flew over the cross-bar did not create any chances or trouble Alan Martin in the QOS goal. QOS started to come more into the game and scored after seventeen minutes when Iain Wilson broke down the right hand side of the field. He passed the ball inside to Lyndon Dykes on the edge of the penalty area. The Australian striker took a touch and then hit a low shot with the outside of his right foot which curled into the far corner of the net leaving Raith keeper Dean Lyness, another ex-Hearts player, helpless. QOS went two up five minutes later. Dobbie gathered the ball just inside the penalty area and beat Iain Davidson then headed to the byeline. The striker then cut the ball back to Connor Murray on the edge of the six yard box who had no trouble putting the ball into the net. Raith had a great chance in twenty-seven minutes when QOS keeper Martin was short with a throw out towards Jordan Marshall on the left. Ian Flanagan gathered the ball and passed to Gullan some twenty yards from goal. The striker's shot towards the empty net lacked power and Michael Doyle was able to slide in and clear the ball.The first half then petered out with no further chances for either side.
QOS were the better side early in the second half and almost went further ahead early in the half. Dykes broke down the left and sent a low cross towards Murray at the near post. Callum Crane slid in to put the ball out for a corner before the forward could connect. Darren Brownlie had a header from a corner cleared of the line by Ross Matthews before QOS brought on Fraser Aird for Stephen Dobbie. The forward has had a spell out injured recently and it seemed sensible to take him off with the game won to prevent a recurrence of the injury. A QOS fan behind me had been shouting that Dobbie had been blowing out of his arse" for ten minutes and seemed pleased when the substitution was made. With his first touch after seventy-five minutes Aird was fouled by Euan Murray on the right. He took the free-kick himself and his cross found Brownlie beyond the far post. The defender headed the ball back towards goal and into a crowd of players. The final touch into the net seemed to come from Dykes although Brownlie also claimed the goal and some reports credited Euan Murray with an own goal. Given the congratulations given to Dykes by his team-mates and the QOS website also crediting Dykes I think it was his goal. After this goal some Raith fans in the main stand started to leave convinced the game was over, The QOS fans then started a chant of - " Is there a fire drill ?". Dykes was played through by Murray after eighty minutes and was looking for his hat-trick. His shot however was deflected with his foot by Lyness onto this post and the ball bounced back into the keepers arms. Raith pulled a goal back when a low cross from Murray found David McKay on the edge of the penalty box. Martin stuck out a foot in an attempt to force the ball round the post but the shot was too powerful and Raith at last had a goal. McKay had another late chance with a header well saved by Martin before, after three minutes of, injury time the referee blew the final whistle.
I walked back to the station arriving at 21.50. I then found that the 21.43 train to Edinburgh had been delayed and would not arrive to 21.58 which meant I did not have to wait for the either of the two trains due after 22.00. Caught the delayed train back to Haymarket and then walked home arriving around 23.00 to take the dog for his last walk of the day.
Teams
Raith Rovers: Lyness, Davidson, Benedictus, Murray, McKay, Flanagan, Matthews, Wedderburn, Crane, Nisbet, Gullan.
Subs: Barjonas, Duggan, McGuffie.
Queen of the South: Martin, Mercer, Doyle, Brownlie, Marshall, Wilson, Jacobs, Todd, Dykes, Dobbie, Murray.
Subs: Aird, Stirling, McGrath.
QoS sacked manager Gary Naysmith, an ex-Hearts player, after the league season ended. They then brought in former boss Alan Johnston, another ex-Hearts player, and he lead the side which beat Montrose 6-2 on aggregate in the first play-off. Stephen Dobbie has set a new QoS scoring record with forty-three goals this season, including a hat-trick against Montrose, and is the main threat in the QOS side. Raith also have an ex-Hearts management team with John McGlynn, former Hearts coach and manager, in charge and Paul Smith, a former Hearts player, as his assistant. Raith recently bought in Hibs Under-20 forward Jamie Gullan on loan and he scored his first senior goal in the play-off against Forfar. He makes me feel old as I knew him when he was a child as his parents lived in the same street as us.
The match started with Raith having most of the possession but other than an early shot from around twenty-five yards from Kevin Nisbet which flew over the cross-bar did not create any chances or trouble Alan Martin in the QOS goal. QOS started to come more into the game and scored after seventeen minutes when Iain Wilson broke down the right hand side of the field. He passed the ball inside to Lyndon Dykes on the edge of the penalty area. The Australian striker took a touch and then hit a low shot with the outside of his right foot which curled into the far corner of the net leaving Raith keeper Dean Lyness, another ex-Hearts player, helpless. QOS went two up five minutes later. Dobbie gathered the ball just inside the penalty area and beat Iain Davidson then headed to the byeline. The striker then cut the ball back to Connor Murray on the edge of the six yard box who had no trouble putting the ball into the net. Raith had a great chance in twenty-seven minutes when QOS keeper Martin was short with a throw out towards Jordan Marshall on the left. Ian Flanagan gathered the ball and passed to Gullan some twenty yards from goal. The striker's shot towards the empty net lacked power and Michael Doyle was able to slide in and clear the ball.The first half then petered out with no further chances for either side.
QOS were the better side early in the second half and almost went further ahead early in the half. Dykes broke down the left and sent a low cross towards Murray at the near post. Callum Crane slid in to put the ball out for a corner before the forward could connect. Darren Brownlie had a header from a corner cleared of the line by Ross Matthews before QOS brought on Fraser Aird for Stephen Dobbie. The forward has had a spell out injured recently and it seemed sensible to take him off with the game won to prevent a recurrence of the injury. A QOS fan behind me had been shouting that Dobbie had been blowing out of his arse" for ten minutes and seemed pleased when the substitution was made. With his first touch after seventy-five minutes Aird was fouled by Euan Murray on the right. He took the free-kick himself and his cross found Brownlie beyond the far post. The defender headed the ball back towards goal and into a crowd of players. The final touch into the net seemed to come from Dykes although Brownlie also claimed the goal and some reports credited Euan Murray with an own goal. Given the congratulations given to Dykes by his team-mates and the QOS website also crediting Dykes I think it was his goal. After this goal some Raith fans in the main stand started to leave convinced the game was over, The QOS fans then started a chant of - " Is there a fire drill ?". Dykes was played through by Murray after eighty minutes and was looking for his hat-trick. His shot however was deflected with his foot by Lyness onto this post and the ball bounced back into the keepers arms. Raith pulled a goal back when a low cross from Murray found David McKay on the edge of the penalty box. Martin stuck out a foot in an attempt to force the ball round the post but the shot was too powerful and Raith at last had a goal. McKay had another late chance with a header well saved by Martin before, after three minutes of, injury time the referee blew the final whistle.
I walked back to the station arriving at 21.50. I then found that the 21.43 train to Edinburgh had been delayed and would not arrive to 21.58 which meant I did not have to wait for the either of the two trains due after 22.00. Caught the delayed train back to Haymarket and then walked home arriving around 23.00 to take the dog for his last walk of the day.
Teams
Raith Rovers: Lyness, Davidson, Benedictus, Murray, McKay, Flanagan, Matthews, Wedderburn, Crane, Nisbet, Gullan.
Subs: Barjonas, Duggan, McGuffie.
Queen of the South: Martin, Mercer, Doyle, Brownlie, Marshall, Wilson, Jacobs, Todd, Dykes, Dobbie, Murray.
Subs: Aird, Stirling, McGrath.
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