Given the results that needed to go in their favour elsewhere, Ian Murray reckoned it was always going to be difficult for Raith Rovers to progress in the Premier Sports Cup.
In the end, he had to settle for an improved second-half performance in a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to newly-promoted Championship rivals Hamilton Accies.
A bonus point from the ‘phoney war’ of the penalty-kicks decider took the Stark’s Park side to eight points but still well short of what was needed to qualify for the second round.
Sean McGinty’s headed opener in the 56th minute was cancelled out by Lee Kilday’s calamitous own goal just five minutes later.
Rovers pushed for a winner. But, as it turned out, they would have needed a 4-1 victory – not out of the realms of possibility with a better display – to be one of the three best runners-up.
Courier Sport looks at three talking points from the last game before the Championship kick-off.
Five stars
Murray lamented the absence of five influential players for the final group game.
Skipper Scott Brown had been injured the previous week against Ross County, Euan Murray picked up a knock in training and Sam Stanton was ill.
They joined last season’s top scorer, Lewis Vaughan, who is close to a comeback, and summer signing Paul Hanlon, who is slightly further away, on the sidelines.
Murray was hopeful the players handed starts against Accies would push for places in the team to face Airdrie in the Championship opener next weekend.
But a subdued performance only served to highlight those who were missing.
Raith have recruited impressively this summer. But, with just three viable outfield players on the bench, and teenager Jake Nicholson, they are still susceptible to injuries.
High lows
Raith identified an issue with losing too many goals from balls into their box last season.
It was something they paid a heavy price for in the Premiership play-off final second-leg against Ross County.
The imposing Hanlon looked like a sound recruit in a bid to right those wrongs, as did Callum Fordyce, who is no slouch in the air.
However, without Hanlon, and also the aggressive Euan Murray, Rovers’ Achilles heel was apparent yet again in Accies’ second-half strike.
It was a simple ball in from a corner that was Rovers’ undoing as McGinty attacked the delivery to head beyond Kevin Dabrowski.
Raith cannot afford to lose such preventable goals from set-pieces or crosses into the box if they are to be pushing for promotion again this season.
Striking improvements
Rovers netted seven times across their four cup games.
That is not a bad return, but had they been able to find three more goals then they would be in the next round.
They started off slickly against Stirling thanks to Aidan Connolly’s hat-trick and could have had more that day.
But they then struggled to break down League Two side Stranraer and needed Euan Murray’s 90th-minute goal to get a win.
Then, County away was always going to be difficult.
But the disjointed nature of the first-half against Accies will have only served to strengthen Murray’s notion he needs at least one attacking reinforcement.
He is well served on the flanks, where Lewis Gibson impressed as a substitute against Hamilton and adds to Connolly, Josh Mullin, Dylan Easton and Callum Smith.
And Easton, Sam Stanton and Lewis Vaughan can all fulfil the number ten role.
However, another central striker remains the obvious missing link for Murray after the cup matches.
