Raith Rovers moved to the top of the league in what is now typical fashion, scoring an injury-time winner to defeat a stubborn Arbroath.
Colin Hamilton’s own goal in the 95th minute, pretty much the final kick of the game, denied Jim McIntyre his first point as manager at Gayfield Park.
Aidan Connolly gave Raith a first-half lead before Jermain Hylton equalised for the home side from the spot.
Raith are now on a run of 12 unbeaten, winning the last six, ahead of a crucial top-of-the-table clash against Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday.
Good first half for Arbroath
Arbroath started the game brightly and early on Jay Bird was put through on goal by Keeghan Jacobs but he couldn’t find the target.
Jack Hamilton was named in the starting XI but he didn’t appear for kick-off Jamie Gullan appeared instead to start in attack with Callum Smith.
His first involvement was to see his free kick easily saved before Sam Stanton his through on goal.
Gullan succeded where Bird – whose hold-up play caused Raith issues – failed and hit the target, but Arbroath captain Tam O’Brien recovered to sweep the ball wide with an excellent intervention.
There was nothing he or the rest of the defence could do on 19 minutes when Connolly lashed in the opener.
Stanton could quite control or shoot from a cross from the right so executed something in between. It then fell kindly for Connolly who guided it beyond Derek Gaston.
Stanton was also sent through, this time by Smith, but his shot was saved by Gaston.
The half finished in an end-to-end fashion after Arbroath equalised from the spot on half an hour after Liam Dick was adjudged to have fouled Leighton McIntosh.
Hylton stepped up and executed a cheeky Panenka as Kevin Dabrowski fell to his knees in exasperation.
Second-half comeback by Raith
The first chance of the second half fell to Raith captain Scott Brown from a corner but he couldn’t get the right connection and the ball trickled wide.
Raith settled better at the start of the half but for all their possession, all they could muster was a long-distance effort from Smith that flashed just wide.
That seemed to kick McIntyre’s team into life and they started to pop the ball around themselves.
Dabrowski was out under pressure when he came to punch it clear and Jacobs fired over from the rebound after being teed up by Hylton.
Raith ended the half stronger after both sides made changes.
Just when it seemed their last-minute prowess had come to an end, in the fifth minute of injury time, substitute Lewis Vaughan cut in from the left and sent the ball goalward and it somehow found its way into the net via Hamilton and the bar.
Line-ups
Arbroath (4-1-4-1): Gaston; Stewart, Steele, O’Brien, Hamilton; Jacobs (Norey 68′); McIntosh, Slater (Lyon 85′), Gold, Hylton; Bird (Dunwald-Turan 77′).
Subs not used: Adams, Stowe.
Raith Rovers (4-1-3-2): Dabrowski; Millen, Brown, Dick; Byrne; Connolly (Mullin 82′), Stanton, Easton; Smith, Gullan (Vaughan 74′).
Subs not used: Thomson, Corr, Matthews, Masson, Gullan, McGill.
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