Walker Wonder Strike Keeps Rovers In The Hunt

Click here or read below for my match report of this afternoon's fixture between Raith Rovers and Dundee. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Raith Rovers 2 v 1 Dundee

Raith Rovers managed to keep themselves just two points behind league leaders Dunfermline Athletic after a last minute 25-yard Allan Walker strike at Starks Park this afternoon.

Raith dominated the majority of the game and deservedly went in at the break a goal to the good thanks to a fabulous Gregory Tade volley.

However, Dundee hit back on the 71st minute when Stephen O'Donnell squeezed the ball home from the tightest of angles.

The teams

The Dees looked to have stolen a point until Walker stepped up and drilled home in unstoppable fashion.

The first half was almost entirely dominated by the home side, but it was not until the 13th minute that they managed an attempt on goal. A Scott McBride long throw found Tade who managed to loop a header over Rab Douglas, only to see the ball land on top of the goal.

Two minutes later Rovers should have taken the lead. An Allan Walker corner was flicked on to Iain Davidson at the back post and with Douglas floored, the midfielder somehow managed to blaze over the bar.

Dundee were sitting deep and the Kirkcaldy side were struggling to break through as Douglas mopped up long range attempts by Walker and John Baird.

However, with just a minute remaining in the first period, Raith broke through. Baird knocked a freekick into the path of Tade who volleyed home from the edge of the box superbly.

Despite having little to do in the first half, Raith goalkeeper Andy McNeil was forced off at the break with a back problem and gave way to David McGurn.

Dundee managed their first shot on goal almost immediately after the interval when Davidson brought down Gary Harkins at the edge of the box, but McGurn was more than equal to the playmaker's effort.

Despite their early pressure, Dundee were forced back again and Baird went close with a scissor kick after Kevin McBride curled a shot just wide of the target.

Action in front of the South Stand

On the 60th minute Kevin McBride was causing more problems as he had a strike deflected wide for a corner. From the set piece Dougie Hill just failed to convert at the back post.

Dundee however, were not going to go down quietly and started to fight harder to keep their unbeaten run going. Raith manager, John McGlynn sensed the change and replaced Davidson with Mark Ferry.

Despite the substitution, disaster struck five minutes later for the Starks Park side. Connor Rennie filtered a ball through to O'Donnell who brushed off Hill and stroked the ball past McGurn at the tightest of angles.

McGlynn responded by changing from a 4-4-2 system to 4-3-3, taking off Scott McBride for Graham Weir.

Dundee were struggling to keep possession and on the 84th minute were in more trouble as Craig McKeown brought down Baird and earned himself a second yellow card.

The visitors were now camped in their own half and Raith should have re-taken the lead on the 84th minute. Walker swung a corner into the box which was flicked on by Grant Murray but somehow Baird couldn't find the net at the back post.

With Dunfermline winning away at Cowdenbeath it looked as if Rovers would end the day four points behind their closest rivals, however, they were not done yet.

A freekick was cleared by the Dundee defence only as far as Walker who, from 25 yards out, smashed a ball at goal with it dipping just at the right time, clipping off the underside of the bar and into the back of the net, leaving Douglas helpless and Dundee's unbeaten run in tatters.

It was a thoroughly merited three points for Raith but credit must be given to the heavily weakened Dundee team for a phenomenal 23 game unbeaten streak.

Rovers next match is a Fife Derby against Cowdenbeath at Starks Park next Saturday and a win against Jimmy Nicholl's men would take them back to the top of the league due to Dunfermline's spare weekend.

written by Will Lyon

Warrington Town with Gary Skentelbery

Please read below for my interview with Warrington Town chairman Gary Skentelbery. It was published in the latest Football Focus magazine which can be viewed here for absolutely free! Included in the current issue are Queens Park Rangers, Chester and many more football clubs.

Warrington Town

Last month, Football Focus caught up with Warrington Town Chairman Gary Skentelbery. Gary and his colleagues have admirably guided the Evo-Stik First Divison North side out of severe financial problems and now look set for a bright future. Gary was kind enough to explain how the situation has progressed. “The club was in a dire financial situation with dwindling crowds of less than 100. But, we’ve been able to organise some good sponsorship deals and get key partners in the community involved in the football team. We all believe that a town of our size should have a football team able to ply its trade at a higher level.”

Indeed, branching out into the community seems to have played a vital role in the resurgence of Warrington Town. Gary says the club “work hard to get their support. We’ve been able to secure a £50,000 grant from land recycling group, Wren, to create an all-weather pitch which will give us an all year round income and profile.”

With the newly installed pitch in place, Gary is hoping that it will attract more youngsters to come to Warrington, firstly enjoy themselves and then to become part of the club. “We’ve teamed up with Active Soccer, who will bring kids down to the club during the summer holidays and let them know what’s available for them in Warrington - it’s a vibrant place to be at the moment.”

The future of the club looks fantastic, but Gary believes the biggest challenge is the one facing them on the pitch right now. “We feel as though we have the infrastructure in place to compete at the next level up. We are on the fringe of the North Division playoffs but it is a very competitive league to get out of. I’d love to see us playing the Conference North and once the club is properly on the map at that higher division I believe anything is possible.”

Warrington have actually made a new signing recently; the much travelled Andy Heald. He joins from fellow Evo-Stik First Division North side, Leigh Genesis. The experienced midfielder has played at Conference North and Conference National level in the past and will no doubt be a vital addition to Warrington's playoff push.

Written by Will Lyon

Terrace Travels #6: Brazil 2-0 Scotland - A Journey

Click here or read below for my travel nightmare to London for Sunday's Brazil v Scotland fixture. It was published on The Terrace Scottish Football website.

Sunday was all set up for an unforgettable day. Scotland had come off the back of a comfortable 3-0 win over Northern Ireland while their matchday opponents Brazil were on a two game losing streak. The home of Arsenal, the Emirates Stadium, was to host this International Challenge match. Thousands of Scottish fans made the long journey down. For some, it was longer than others as Will Lyon found to his cost…

Scotland in action against Brazil

The plan was simple. Take a train to London on the Saturday, watch the match on Sunday, have a few beers and take the train back home on the Monday. However, as it transpired, things wouldn't be so straightforward...

Walking into Edinburgh Waverley train station at half past three on the Saturday and seeing the three o'clock Kings Cross train still sitting in its’ berth was not a comforting sight, but spirits were high and I shook off any worries and made my way to the platform for my four o'clock departure.

As I took my seat at the platform, my worst nightmare began: “The 4 o'clock service to Kings Cross is delayed.” Fifteen minutes later, the situation spiralled to a new level of doom: “The 4 o'clock service to Kings Cross is cancelled, Network Rail apologises for any inconvenience caused.” Before the panic could take hold of the hundreds of bewildered passengers, we were ushered by a marshal to head for the three o'clock Kings Cross train and told that we were “just going to have to squeeze in.” The train was not a pleasant place to be. Cramped in-between a huge suitcase and an arguing couple, I started to wish I was elsewhere as I heard news of my team Raith Rovers grabbing a crucial equaliser in their league fixture against Falkirk.

The minutes ticked by and just as the dreaded text came through informing me that Raith went on to lose the important game at Falkirk, an announcement was made over the tannoy of the train: “This service to London Kings Cross has been cancelled. There is a major signal fault at York and there will be no services to London for the rest of the day. We will operate an hourly service to Newcastle, but passengers looking to travel to London are advised make other plans or come back tomorrow.” Unfortunately, the first train to London on the Sunday would not arrive in time for the match and there was no guarantee that the signal fault would be fixed in time. With a seat on a plane costing over £150, the next best option was the dreaded Megabus – the infamous last resort of travel. The next bus was to leave St Andrews Station at half past 10 and arrive at London Victoria eight hours later. At a measly £27 the opportunity could not be missed.

After grabbing some dinner, I received a phone call from my mate who had made his way up to London for the game. He had turned up at the hostel we were booked into, only to be greeted by a receptionist who informed him that: “The system crashed when you made your booking, so although you received a booking confirmation, we do not have your booking here and we are now full.” So with that news my mate started running around London looking for somewhere to sleep and I made my way back to the bus station.

Upon arrival, I was shepherded onto a bus and with just one seat at the front and a few more at the back nearby a boisterous Tartan Army group. So I decided to sit at the front where I might be able to catch a bit more sleep. But as the bus started reversing out of its dock, the back of the bus immediately erupted with a chorus of “We'll Be Coming”. The driver was clearly amused, muttering something along the lines of “thank f*ck I'm handing this bus over to someone else,” while the Russians to the right of me looked confused and maybe even a little frightened.

As we made our way out of Edinburgh, I soon realised the man next to me (who had not even glanced at me since I had sat next to him) was on the verge of passing out, probably due to a few too many lemonade shandys on Rose Street. His head flopped back and forth, but he seemed fine – for now. Meanwhile, the Tartan Army were in full voice and mocking the lack of atmosphere at the front of the bus: “Can you hear the front sing? No, no. Can you hear the front sing? I cannae hear a f*cking thing, no, no, no.” The driver and I were laughing, the man next to me was still oblivious to the world around him and the Russians continued to look fearful for their well-being.

As we headed for the border, the man next to me uttered his first words - they were not words that I wanted to hear: “Is there a sick bag underneath the chair?” he gargled. Frantically, I searched for one but found nothing. He crashed his head back on the chair in front and grunted “ahh sh*te.” A few unpleasant noises followed, but thankfully nothing would emerge from his mouth. The bus gradually descended into silent sleep, only to be intermittently interrupted by one of the Russians whose snore was reminiscent of a foghorn.

The bus arrived in London around seven o'clock and the bleary-eyed passengers dragged themselves onto the street. I made my way to Kings Cross to meet my mate who had ended up staying in the Premier Inn near Wembley for a costly £70. We decided to check into our new hostel, which I had booked just before getting onto the bus the night before, ate some breakfast and then did what comes natural to most football fans – we hit the pub. By 11 o'clock, the atmosphere in O'Neill's was already simmering and “Flower of Scotland”, “We'll Be Coming” and “Doe A Deer” were regularly belted out at full volume.

The fans gather around The Emirates Stadium - Home of Arsenal FC

At midday, we began the migration to the Emirates Stadium, with each pub along the way looking just that little bit more full than the one previous. As the stadium loomed in the distance the atmosphere turned to one of a carnival. The Brazilians were thumping away on their drums, surrounded by samba dancers with some additional entertainment being provided by the odd drunk Scot trying to join in.

With match day scarves and programmes purchased we decided to enter the stadium. It was hard not to be blown away by the grandness of the place when you are used to visiting beauty spots such as Cowdenbeath's Central Park. There were no crumbling terraces, filthy seats or limited legroom at The Emirates and the pitch was akin to a bowling green. Behind us were two cockneys - gasping at the fact that only five Old Firm players were in the Scotland team - who were kind enough to point out that Charlie Adam was the nation's only top class player.

The match kicked off under a blazing sun and as expected, Brazil dominated from start to finish. The deadlock was broken three minutes before half time when Andre Santos' cutback found Neymar alone in the box and the youngster coolly slotted past Allan McGregor. The second half saw more of the same Brazilian domination and 13 minutes from the end Neymar made it 2-0 from the penalty spot. And with that, the game was over.

From a fans perspective, it was a wonderful day out. The Tartan Army took control of the city and the atmosphere was electric wherever you went. The whole experience only added to the cravings for an away day to Wembley to face the Auld Enemy.

As well as being a presenter on The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast, Will is sports editor of 'The Student' at Edinburgh University and the official match reporter for Raith Rovers FC. You'll also find other pieces of his scattered around the blog world - search them out! Follow Will on Twitter: @wrl1989

Brazil, Mixu & Takeovers

Please click here to listen to the latest installment of The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast.

There was no SPL action at the week, but there is still plenty talk about, starting with all the international goodness of out potassium-filled trip to face Brazil. We'll discuss what we learned, what's next and what the atmosphere was like among the throngs of Scots down there.

In domestic matters we'll have a round-up of what has been happening in club football, including talking Mixu, and potential takeovers of St. Mirren and Rangers.

Last night was a massive night in the SFL, particularly in the ever-changing race for the SPL taking place in SFL1, while Livingston and Arbroath look shoe-ins for SFL2 and SFL3 respectively. We also want to hear from Alloa and Clyde fans; what has happened with your clubs in the past couple of weeks?!

There's action to preview, including the vital Scottish Cup quarter-final tonight (which is only £10 / £5 to get into - get on that!) between Motherwell and Dundee United as well as a full card of SPL fixtures - including the Edinburgh derby.

There's also our usual goodies of Punt of the Week and Where are they Now?

Email: thetterrace@scotzine.com / Twitter: terracepodcast

Rovers & Staggies Share The Spoils

Click here or read below for my match report from this evening's fixture between Raith Rovers and Ross County. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.


Raith Rovers 1 v 1 Ross County

The teams

Raith Rovers stay top of the First Division after a 1-1 draw against Ross County.

The visitors scored the opening goal just four minutes into the second half when Jonathan Flynn headed home, but Raith replied immediately after Gregory Tade stabbed home following a stramash in the County box.

The first half was a fairly stuffy affair with the Dingwall side dominating possession but after taking the lead, looked second-best to Rovers, who started to apply more urgency to their play.

Raith created the first real opportunity of the match on the 7th minute when a Scott McBride freekick was curled to the back post where the inrushing Dougie Hill just failed to connect.

County hit back five minutes later after Stephen Simmons gave away a freekick on the edge of the box. From the set piece Steven Milne managed to flick an attempt on goal, but Rovers keeper' Andy McNeil was able to tip onto the bar.

Simmons was clearly struggling after being on the receiving end of a 50/50 tackle early on and was replaced by Mark Ferry on the 15th minute.

County continued to control possession, but failed to create another chance till a corner on the 26th minute. Milne again managed an attempt at goal - which seemed to take a slight touch off an arm - before McNeil was able to gather.

Away fans in the McDermid Stand

The next twenty minutes were fairly uninspiring, although County could have grabbed a goal in stoppage time when a freekick was touched on by Richard Brittain, but Andrew Barrowman's scissor kick fell just wide of the post.

The game was in desperate need of a goal and one arrived four minutes into the second half. Iain Vigurs curled a corner to the front post where the unmarked Flynn glanced his header into the Rovers net.

County manager Jimmy Calderwood immediately changed his side's 4-4-2 formation to a 3-5-2 and may have been punished for this six minutes later when Craig Wilson was able to cross a ball in from the right hand side which John Baird could not quite connect with, but Tade was on hand to send the ball home.

The home fans roared their side on and Raith should have scored another on the 56th minute when Ferry swung a ball into the box but Tade headed over the bar.

The momentum was clearly with Rovers and County had to thank their lucky stars when Allan Walker somehow managed to shoot wide when it looked easier to score. Baird raced past the Highlander's defence high up the pitch and smashed a shot at keeper' Michael McGovern who could only watch as the ball spun over him and onto the bar. 

Raith fans in the South Stand

From the rebound, the ball bounced back over Tade and landed in the path of Walker who awkwardly stuck a foot out but could only watch as his effort scraped the post.

The pressure continued and 20 minutes from time Tade met a Ferry cross but hit his shot into the turf and McGovern was able to gather.

However, Raith were almost caught out when a weak Mark Campbell pass caught Iain Davidson cold and Michael Gardyne nipped in and ran clear at goal, but with Campbell bearing down on him, he snatched at his shot and hooked it wide.

Rovers flung men forward and their last chance would fall on the 88th minute when another Ferry cross was headed at goal by Walker but McGovern dealt with the effort comfortably.

Looking back at second half chances, Raith just about deserved the three points, but in the end, it was too little too late. If they had shown the same urgency and desire in the first half, they may have come away with the three points, especially as the County defence looked shaky when under pressure. 

The Main Stand

However, across the River Tay, Dunfermline Athletic could only draw at Dens Park, so Rovers stay two points clear at the top of the league and with just seven games left, it is all to play for.

Meanwhile, with Cowdenbeath losing to Greenock Morton, County move back out of the relegation playoff position and into 8th place.

Peter Lorimer - Player Profile

Below is my player profile of Leeds United and Scotland legend, Peter Lorimer. It was published in the latest Scotzine fanzine which can be bought for just £1.00 here.

 Legends of Football - Peter Lorimer

I never missed a Scotland game through choice and I’m pleased that I didn’t. I wanted every cap that was offered to me. You never get that time back and it’s always dangerous to assume that you’ll be asked twice if you say no once.

Lorimer in Scotland colours

Those are the words of former Leeds United and Scotland winger, Peter Lorimer, taken from his column for the Yorkshire Evening Post published as recent as February. It is an attitude that current Scotland forward Steven Fletcher appears to be lacking after he turned down Craig Levein’s call-up for the Carling Nations fixture against Northern Ireland last month. Ultimately, Fletcher would not have even been able toturn down the chance to play for his country in the 1970s as he would not have been good enough to get into that talented squad in which Lorimer was an integral part of.

Lorimer was born in Dundee, 1946, and signed his first football contract in 1962 with Leeds United at the age of just fifteen, making his first team debut later that year. He would go on to make 676 appearances in two spells for United, scoring 238 goals which is all the more impressive considering he featured predominately on the right wing.

Of course, it could have been a completely different story. With their son attracting the attention of numerous club scouts from anearly age, Lorimer’s parents were allegedly offered a £5,000 bung from Manchester United scouts to sign schoolboy forms with the club. The Red Devils’ offer was accepted by the working-class parents, understandably so, considering the immense value of £5,000 just short of fifty years ago. It later emerged that The Reds’ manager Sir Matt Busby was not impressed with his scouts’ unauthorised actions as he informed them he had already ‘promised’ Lorimer to Leeds boss, Don Revie. When approached by Leeds soon after, Lorimer’s parents returned the £5,000 to Manchester United and their son would soon move south of the border to join the Yorkshire club.

Lorimer joined Leeds at a time when the club had just narrowly avoided relegation to the English Third Division and they were struggling financially. However, under Revie’s guidance the Elland Road side would achieve promotion to the top tier after just three years in charge. Indeed, Lorimer would play an integral role in Revie’s ‘glory years’ at Leeds United where the club won the old First Division (1968/9 & 1973/4), League Cup (1968), the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1968 & 1971) and the FA Cup (1972). Despite all of Lorimer’s medal collecting, he could have had so much more. During the period, Leeds finished second in the league five times, lost in the FA Cup final three times, finished runners up in the Fairs Cup once and also fell to AC Milan in the European Cup Winners Cup in 1973.

It was also during this spell that Lorimer became a Scotland regular, making twenty-one appearances and scoring four goals in the process. He will arguably be best known in a Scotland shirt for his star performance in the admirable goalless draw against Brazil in the first round of the 1974 World Cup. He had numerous efforts on goal but was thwarted each time by goalkeeper Emerson Leao. The most eye-catching moment of thematch from Lorimer being a freekick forty yards from goal which he, after a Roberto Carlos-esq run up, blasted the ball at goal with Leao just managing to tip over for a corner. It was one these fiercely struck shots that would give Lorimer nicknames such as “hotshot” and “lash”. Sadly, Scotland failed to qualify for the next round of the World Cup on goal difference and the nation would regret the chance missed by Lorimer and his team-mates, arguably the best talent this country has ever seen, with greats like Billy Bremner,
Kenny Dalgish and Jimmy Johnstone, who remarkably failed to even come off the bench once at the tournament.

Lorimer left the rapidly declining Leeds in 1979 and decided to travel afar to ply his trade at Toronto Blizzard, York City, Vancouver Whitecaps and University College Dublin over the next four years. His spell in Canada at the Whitecaps was probably the most successful period away from Leeds, where the now ageing Scot, would score 23 goals in 87 games.

37-year-old Lorimer rejoined Leeds in 1983 who were now occupying a spot in the Second
Division and he spent three final seasons at the club under the stewardship of former team-mate Eddie Gray. Lorimer broke the club’s top goalscorer record during this second spell at the Yorkshire club and would in total score a total of 17 goals before he retired just immediately prior to his 40th birthday.

Lorimer has kept himself involved in the game as a director at Leeds United, a pundit for BBC Radio Leeds and as mentioned previously, a columnist for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Lorimer also owns a pub in Leeds, situated just a thirty minute walk away from Elland Road, so if you are in town for a Leeds United match be sure to wet your appetite for the football at Lorimer’s Commerical Inn.

By Will Lyon

Doing A 'St. Mirren'

Click here to listen to this week's Terrace Scottish Football podcast featuring Alan Temple, Craig Fowler and myself.

In this week's show we discuss the first trophy of the season being  handed out to Rangers, who defeated Celtic after extra-time in a pleasantly watchable enounter at Hampden yesterday. We pick through the bones of that one and bestow praise and scorn on deserving parties.

Throwing away positive positions in the last 10 minutes of a football match must now be known as 'doing a St. Mirren', and Hearts were the beneficiaries as Danny Lennon's men absolutely St. Mirren-ed it at Tynecastle on Saturday. That and much more in the SPL round-up.

It's almost time for the Scottish invasion of England. We preview the Scotland vs Brazil friendly at the Emirates as I let loose the dorment side of my mind which wants to go topless in London.

A preview of Brechin's trip to St. Johnstone, the SFL round-up and Where are they Now? make up the rest of our weekly offering.

Email us: theterrace@scotzine.com / Twitter: @terracepodcast

Enjoy the show.

The Terrace Scottish Football Podcast - "Givin' Out Daps"

Check out the latest Terrace Scottish Football Podcast here where Alan Temple, Craig Fowler and myself talk Scottish Cup, SPL, SFL, Scottish League Cup and Europa League. Enjoy the show!

Raith Rovers 0 v 2 Partick Thistle

Click here or read below for my match report from today's fixture at Starks Park this afternoon. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Rovers Slump To Fifth Home Defeat

Raith Rovers slumped to their fifth home defeat of the season against Partick Thistle this afternoon after two second half goals from Kris Doolan and Paddy Boyle.

The home side struggled to find any sort of rhythm, while the visitors created numerous chances and could have won by a larger margin in the end.

Remarkably, this was the first time Thistle had overturned Raith since the Kirkcaldy side won promotion to the First Division in 2009.

With Dunfermline securing a 2-1 win away to Falkirk it means the Pars have closed the gap at the top of the table to just two points.

After an encouraging display at Dumfries last week, hopes were high amongst the Starks Park faithful as the teams emerged onto the park at three o'clock, but it was Partick who would cause the early problems.

Just three minutes into the match Raith midfielder Stephen Simmons lost possession in his own box, but thankfully for the league leaders, the ball was cleared behind. From the corner Ryan McGowan headed the ball into the ground and as it viciously bounced up towards goal Andrew McNeil managed to tip over the bar.

Raith tried to gain a foothold in the game but ten minutes later they were struggling to clear their lines once again. A succession of Partick shots were blocked, with the final one landing to right back Paul Paton whose shot was deflected wide by Simmons for another corner.

The corner resulted in nothing, but minutes later Partick had another opportunity when Chris Erskine was played in on goal, only for Dougie Hill to slide in and make a great last ditch tackle to divert the ball wide of the post. The corner was swung in and Rovers fans held their breath as Doolan looked just inches away from connecting with the cross.

Halfway through the first period McGowan had a clear sight of goal as the ball broke to him outside the Raith box, but his effort was comfortably dealt with by McNeil.

Partick's final attempt on goal in the first half arrived on the 34th minute when Paton's cross was glanced past the post by Martin Grehan.

Raith - still being backed by the home fans – finally managed to get a grasp of the game with their first real chance falling on the stroke of half time. Midfielder Allan Walker slipped a delightful through ball to the pacey John Baird who connected well, but Thistle keeper' Scott Fox tipped wide and the half time whistle was blown by Frank McDermott.

Despite being second best for the first period, Rovers fans were encouraged by the final flurry, however they were soon to be disappointed when Partick took the lead on the 49th minute. A corner was curled into the box and the unmarked Doolan headed down through McNeil's legs.

Looking for a quick response, Raith finally managed a few more shots on goal. A freekick was headed wide of the post by Hill, before a cross to the back post was caught on the volley by Walker, only for Fox to tip his effort over the bar.

However, Thistle regained control of the match, causing numerous problems. On the 66th minute, Chris Erskine went on a lung bursting run down the left wing, cutting inside and blasted the ball at goal but McNeil was able to tip over for a corner.

From the corner Grehan managed to flick a cross ball at goal, but McNeil was able to gather.

Raith's Grant Murray nodded over from a corner before McNeil made yet another save, this time from Doolan who was looking to add another goal to his tally.

Rovers manager John McGlynn rung the changes on the 72nd minute as Mark Ferry, Gregory Tade and John Baird were replaced by Gary Wales, Graham Weir and Iain Davidson.

Raith's final chance came five minutes later after a corner fell to Mark Campbell who laid the ball back to the onrushing Simmons, but his effort was high and wide.

The home side threw men forward as the final minutes ticked away, with Partick relieving the pressure admirably and in the final minute of regulation time they sealed the win. Boyle took advantage of a mistake by Campbell who was unable to get the ball out from under his feet and the left back slammed the ball past McNeil to seal Partick's first away victory since October 2010.

All in all, a very poor Rovers performance and the players will have to pick themselves up quickly for Tuesday evening's fixture against Cowdenbeath.

Meanwhile, the victory for Partick means they have moved up to fourth in the league, comfortably clear of the relegation places and top spot respectively. Ian McCall's side will probably have one eye on next season already now.

written by Will Lyon

Terrace Travels #3: Queen of the South 0 - 2 Raith Rovers

Click here to read my article published on The Terrace where I describe a day out at the fitba' down Dumfries way.

The Terrace - 28th February 2011

Click here to listen to this week's Terrace Podcast featuring Alan Temple, Craig Fowler and myself.

After a hiatus of a week, we are back with a show packed full of Scottish football incident - starting off with Celtic’s shock capitulation at Fir Park, which handed title race momentum back to the men in blue.

A team in blue continue to set the pace in the SFL, with Raith leading division one - but they are being fervently chased by Dunfermline and Falkirk. There’s also focus on Livingston, Peterhead and an unpredictable division three.

There’s a preview of this coming week’s Scottish Cup replay between Celtic and Rangers as we ask whether differing results for the Old Firm this weekend will have any bearing on the result of the cup tie.

And, as always, there’s a full round-up of all 8 SPL matches which will be taking place in the next 7 days up and down the country.

All that, and Where are they Now? and Punt of the Week too.

Email: theterrace@scotzine.com / Twitter: @terracepodcast

Enjoy the Show.

Raith Edge Out Albion

Please click here or read below for my report on this afternoon's fixture between Raith Rovers and Stirling Albion, with the home side narrowly winning by two goals to one. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

RAITH EDGE OUT ALBION

Stirling Albion looked to have grabbed themselves an unlikely point at top-of-the-table Raith Rovers this afternoon after Gordon Smith’s 53^rd minute equaliser cancelled out Grant Murray’s opening goal.

However, John Baird squeezed the ball over the line just seven minutes from time to keep the Kirkcaldy side three points clear of nearest title challengers Dunfermline Athletic.

It was a far from fluent performance from Raith despite manager John McGlynn ringing the changes from the midweek loss to Dundee. For numerous reasons, Scott McBride, Iain Davidson and Willie Dyer all dropped out to be replaced by Craig Wilson, Iain Williamson and Dougie Hill, who had returned from his loan spell at Brechin City. 

The teams come out in front of the South Stand at Starks Park

The match began at a frantic pace with Raith forcing a succession of corners in the opening few minutes. The first corner resulted from Stirling keeper’ Scott Christie tipping an Allan Walker shot wide of the post. Walker stepped up at the corner flag and curled the ball into the box but Laurie Ellis was unable to get enough purchase on the ball and the danger was cleared behind for another corner. Mark Campbell was the next to go close as his header zipped past the Stirling post and thirty seconds later, the towering centre-half was to have a goal-bound shot blocked by a brave Albion defender.

After managing to survive the early onslaught, Stirling created their first chance on the 6^th minute when former Ayr United captain, Chris Aitkin, received the ball on the edge of the box, striking with real power, but Andy McNeil clung onto the ball.

Two minutes later, Tom Brighton looped a header narrowly wide of McNeil’s left post before Walker and Baird hit efforts wide at the other end of the pitch.

The pace of the game began to decrease although mid-way through the half the visitors had a great chance to take the lead. Aitkin was causing more problems in the middle of the park as he drove to the Rovers box only to be thwarted at the last second by a scrambling Raith defender. The ball landed at the feet of Smith but the youngster sent the ball well wide of the target.

However, the deadlock would be broken ten minutes from the break when Raith finally capitalised from a corner as captain Murray found the net from close range.

Stirling replied almost immediately when a long range Brian Allison shot was flicked on by Jonathon Brown, leaving McNeil thankful the ball landed on top of his goal.

In truth, Raith should have been two goals to the good at half time when Stephen Simmons played a delightful through ball for Baird, but the speedy striker seemed to take one too many touches and Christie managed to throw a desperate foot in the way of his shot, to divert the ball wide for a corner.

The teams line up at Starks Park

Immediately after the break, Raith had another great opportunity when Baird whipped a ball into the box but it fell in the gap between the onrushing Gregory Tade and Walker and was successfully cleared by the away side.

On the 51^st minute Albion had a chance to equalise as Smith capitalised on Simmons slipping in possession. Smith ran the whole Rovers half, but like Baird in the first period, took too many touches and ended up striking weakly into McNeil’s arms.

However, it was just two minutes later that Jocky Scott’s men found their equaliser. Aitkin was pulling the strings in midfield once more and played a neat pass to Smith who this time made no mistake and slotted the ball past McNeil.

The Starks Park faithful started to become a bit edgy and Stirling seemed quite comfortable to sit deep and hit Raith on the break, although their plan was nearly undone on the 63^rd minute when Hill narrowly headed the ball over the bar after another Walker corner.

Stirling’s best chances to score another goal came in two successive minutes. The first chance fell to Brighton after receiving a through ball from Aitkin, only to be denied by a last ditch Campbell tackle. Stirling broke up the pitch again but after cutting inside Smith shot over the bar.

The bottom side would soon regret missing their opportunities when Raith scored the winning goal on the 83^rd minute. A Walker freekick was aimed at the far post where Campbell headed the ball back across goal and Baird stuck a foot out, sending the ball inches over the line, although Christie would claim otherwise.

Raith began to slow play down and the final opportunity fell to former Rover Ryan Borris on the 90^th minute but his shot was well wide of the post. Stirling would then claim for a handball in the Rovers box right at the death, however referee Steve Conroy was not interested and play continued.

It was not a pretty performance from the boys in blue but nevertheless, a vital three points if Raith are to continue challenging at the top of the table.

To Stirling’s credit, they worked Rovers hard and appeared to be a well-organised outfit, looking dangerous on the break. After taking into consideration Stirling and Cowdenbeath’s recent results and performances it would not be surprising to see the Binos overtake the Blue Brazil at the bottom of the league in the near future.  

Stirling Albion fans in the McDermid Stand at Starks Park

The Essentials - Will Lyon

You can now follow The Essentials editor Will Lyon on twitter: http://twitter.com/wrl1989

Dees Do The Double

Click here or read below for my match report of the fixture at Starks Park this evening. It was published on the official Raith Rovers website.

Raith Rovers 1 v 2 Dundee

Dundee battled to a narrow win over Raith Rovers tonight for the second time in as many weeks.

Sean Higgins scored 2 goals for the Dees on either side of half time, while a curling Allan Walker freekick temporarily brought the hosts level for 4 minutes.

Overall, the Starks Park side failed to click while their opponents from over the Tay looked dangerous every time they attacked the table toppers.

Indeed, it was the away side who dominated the first 10 minutes, with playmaker Gary Harkins in deadly form. It was he who broke through the Rovers defence after 5 minutes, threading a neat pass to Craig Forsyth, but the winger's effort was well saved by Rovers goalkeeper Andy McNeil.

Minutes later, Harkins was creating move havoc and would have scored were it not for the diving McNeil just managing to tip his shot wide of the post.

Raith, struggling to get a foothold in the game, had a half chance on the 12^th minute when a long throw was received by Walker, but his 20 yard strike sailed over the bar.

The Kirkcaldy side began to force their way into the game and Dundee failed to threaten again till the 27^th minute. Trialist Craig Robertson ran down the left side of the pitch and crossed in a perfect ball to Higgins, but the 26-year-old almost lackadaisically swung a shot on goal and McNeil was able to gather.

On the half hour mark Harkins was causing trouble again as he drove at the Raith defence and played a through ball to Forsyth who was about to pull the trigger until Mark Campbell made a superb last ditch tackle.

However, in an almost identical move Raith conceded just 1 minute later. This time it was Forsyth who would sprint through the Rovers half crossing a decent ball into the path of Higgins who coolly slotted the ball past McNeil to send the away side a goal to the good at half time.

The second half was started at a frantic pace by Raith, who may have been on the receiving end of a few hastening words from manager John McGlynn at the break. Just moments into the second period, Gregory Tade did well to run through the Dundee defence and one-on-one with goalkeeper Rab Douglas looked set to shoot, but changed his mind and aimed a pass at Walker which was cut off by the ensuing Dees defence.

The home fans' groans turned to cheers on the 50^th minute after Iain Davidson was hauled down just outside the box and Walker stepped up to curl a superb 25 yard freekick into the bottom corner of the goal leaving Douglas helpless and the hosts back on level terms.

Unfortunately for the Starks Park faithful, Rovers were only level for 4 minutes as a Harkins cross was bundled into the net by Higgins for his second goal of the night.

The goal was a huge kick in the teeth for Rovers and were lucky to have 11 men still on the park when Davidson, already on a yellow card, committed a professional foul on the edge of the box, but referee Iain Brines, who took charge of the Old Firm derby on Sunday, decided the challenge was not enough to merit a booking.

The match started to become quite physical with both teams desperate to find another goal. However, it would be the away side who struck next with the chance falling to Stephen O'Donnell. On the 67^th minute O'Donnell received a pass into the box and found himself with just McNeil to beat, but the former Hibee pulled off a spectacular diving save. Thirty seconds later, O'Donnell received the ball again, this time on the edge of the box, but his shot was cleared off the line.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, Raith had Campbell to thank again as he made another goal saving challenge on Harkins. However, the former Blackburn youth continued to carve open opportunities for his side as he combined with Forsyth again, but McNeil made the save.

Iain Williamson, Gary Wales and Graham Weir replaced Stephen Simmons, Scott McBride and John Baird as McGlynn attempted to freshen his team up for a final push to equalise. It almost worked too when a Raith corner was cleared by Dundee only as far as Williamson who looped the ball back over the Dees defence to Weir who smashed the ball at goal, but Douglas spread himself to make a brilliant save.

Campbell, playing as a striker towards the end, had a headed chance in the dying seconds, but was unable to find a way past the dominate Douglas.

This was Dundee's fifth win in a row and their sixteenth league fixture unbeaten which is a phenomenal achievement, but questions will be asked if they can maintain this sort of form to the end of the season with such a small squad of players.

Meanwhile Raith will need to regroup as they have conceded 10 league goals already this calender year compared to the measly 8 they conceded from August till the end of December last year. The team struggled to pass the ball to a blue shirt tonight, but all is not lost as they still sit top of the First Division, three points clear of Dunfermline Athletic, who drew 0-0 away to Ross County.

First Division Round-Up - Saturday 12th February 2011

Fairytale Dees, sacking Staggies and a ceremony at Central Park...just another day in the First Division!

Neil McCann celebrates after scoring against Raith Rovers

After their CVA agreement on Tuesday, Dundee's financial problems appeared to heading towards an end. The question was, how would Dundee respond on the park to this welcome news? The answer would be provided in fairytale fashion with their match winner coming from a man who came out of retirement and played for no fee, just to help out his first ever senior side.

Dundee were facing top of the table Raith Rovers at Dens Park in a clash that would have been a top of the table one, if it were not for the Dees SFL imposed points deduction.

Both teams struggled to dictate play in the opening period but it would be Rovers who took the lead after a Grant Murray header beat former Scotland keeper' Rab Douglas.

However, few could have predicted the perfect comeback from the battling Dees. Gary Harkins stepped up 25 yards from goal and curled a stupendous freekick into the back of the net to haul Dundee level with just 7 minutes to go.

The fairytale comeback was complete, unbelievably, in the 5^th minute of stoppage time when 36-year-old Neil McCann, who came out of retirement to play for Dundee, controlled a cross and delicately looped the ball over the despairing Andrew McNeil to send the Dens Park crowd into raptures. Indeed, the joy on show from both Dundee's players and fans, would bring a tear to a glass eye after recent events.

Elsewhere in the First Division, Dunfermline Athletic romped to a 4-0 victory over struggling Cowdenbeath which means they are now just 2 points behind pace setters Raith, with a game in hand. Other landmarks in this game was an official ceremony for the unveiling of Cowdenbeath's brand new floodlights, but less pleasing for the Central Park side was watching former Blue Brazil striker, Liam Buchanan, scoring his first goal in Dunfermline colours.

At the other end of the table, Ross County laboured to a 0-0 draw against bottom side Stirling Albion and this would prove to be Willie McStay's last match in charge of the Staggies as he was relieved of his duties shortly after the match. Quite unbelievably, it was only McStay's 9^th game in charge of the Highland outfit.

Meanwhile, Queen of the South managed to hold Partick Thistle to a thrilling 3-3 draw at Palmerston after two late goals and Falkirk kept up with the title challengers after a narrow 1-0 win over Greenock Morton.

What we have learnt

Today was another reminder that first of all, there are likely to be many twists and turns in the race for promotion. The contenders could not be any more different as Raith are a physical and workman-like side, but Dunfermline are a fairly free-flowing and attacking outfit. However, we cannot forget about Falkirk, who need to place together some sort of Caley-esq consistency if they are to challenge for the title. Narrow wins over Raith and Morton are certainly a step in the right direction for Steven Pressley's men.

At the other end of the table, Dundee, who are as Jim Spence would claim, “morally” top of the league, are already up to 7^th place in the real world and bar a catastrophic collapse, are all but clear of relegation because they have a superior side to those around them. So that leaves Stirling rooted at the bottom, which looks like the position they will end up finishing in, unless new manager Jocky Scott can pull a few rabbits out of the hat. The more interesting battle down the bottom is likely to be between Ross County and Cowdenbeath as they battle it out to avoid slipping into the relegation play-off spot. Ross County have a huge decision to make with regards to a new manager and will arguably need to appoint an experienced head, while Cowdenbeath need to find their early season form again if they are to avoid nerve shredding play-off fixtures.

written by Will Lyon

The Kill-ees

Click here to listen to this week’s episode of The Terrace. You can also download it on iTunes here.

For once, an Old Firm actually lived up to expectations. A thoroughly breathless encounter ended 2-2 at Ibrox, and we will talk Brown, Diouf, Ness, Calum Murray and Steven Naismith to open the show this week.

The draw for the quarter-finals has taken place and we will decipher who can be most pleased with the result, and how the rest of the teams navigated their 5th round ties.

In the lower leagues, Raith keep plodding along, Stirling look doomed and Dundee look set to claim a first-ever moral league championship - at a canter! We also talk Dumbarton, Forfar, Elgin and Jim Duffy’s Clyde.

Scotland are in action, and The Terrace will try and get you hyped for Wednesday’s trip to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin by chatting about the game, the squad inclusions and the potential stand-out stars of our first ever Carling Nations Cup campaign.

There’s even Punt of the Week and Where are they Now? in a packed show. I hope you enjoy.

Email: theterrace@scotzine.com / Twitter: @terracepodcast / Facebook: The Terrace