Another week without a permanent manager and another defeat for Raith Rovers.
If anyone looked like winning Saturday’s clash with newly-relegated Livingston, it was the Kirkcaldy men.
A strong second-half performance earned them dominance and substitute Lewis Vaughan came within a whisker of the opener when his header struck the bar with 19 minutes remaining.
However, it was Livi who performed a smash and grab when the normally-reliable Kevin Dabrowski allowed Jamie Brandon’s 90th-minute drive to squirm through his hands and into the net.
Courier Sport was at Stark’s Park to analyse the action.
No manager, no win
Whether a new manager would have made any difference to this result is difficult to say.
A fresh face in the dugout would certainly not have been able to prevent Dabrowski making his late and costly error.
And, up until that point, there was no sense that Raith were in need of firmer guidance.
Technical director John Potter and assistant Colin Cameron have been constant figures over the last 14 months and steered the team to a win over Partick Thistle in the first game after Ian Murray’s sacking.
Against Ayr United in their next game, Shaun Byrne’s red card was pivotal in the 2-0 loss to Ayr United.
And, then, on Saturday, a goalkeeping mistake cost them a point when they could have had three but for Jerome Prior’s display in the Livi goal.
There may be apprehension within the squad and frustrations in the support over who the next manager will be.
But there was still a sense of togetherness on and off the pitch on Saturday.
That said, the sooner an appointment is made, the sooner a new direction can be mapped out with more certainty.
Striking deficiencies
Raith have now scored just one goal – a penalty – in their four Championship outings so far this season.
It is a paltry return for a team that netted 58 times last season, a total only surpassed by champions Dundee United and Partick Thistle in third.
After the opening four league games of last term, Rovers had found the net nine times.
It is a stark contrast and will be one of the main issues for the new manager to address on his arrival.
There were signs against Livi that the old attacking verve was returning.
Callum Smith led the line well, getting the better of the experienced Ryan McGowan, and he formed a promising partnership with new loan signing Lewis Jamieson.
Playing two up front caught Livi boss David Martindale by surprise, as did the three-man defence in a 3-4-1-2 formation.
Lewis Stevenson and Lewis Gibson provided threats from their wing-back positions and, at the other end, the imperious Paul Hanlon anchored the defence well.
It was perhaps a bit too frantic at times but there was energy and movement that caused their visitors problems.
That went up a notch again when Lewis Vaughan was introduced in the second-half.
His first touch was a chance that he screwed across goal on the volley and he almost grabbed the all-important first goal when his header crashed off the bar.
Ultimately, the end product was still missing. But there were signs of things clicking into place.
Talent in the stand
It is questionable whether Raith would have changed formation for the visit of Livi had it not been for their extensive injury list.
Against Ayr United, Stevenson played out of position as an auxiliary right-back but a different solution was sought to face the Lions.
It meant Josh Mullin slotting into central midfield and Liam Dick again filling in as a centre-half.
It is a case of needs must for Rovers at the moment.
Scott Brown and Sam Stanton would strengthen the heart of the team, Kieran Freeman is the club’s only specialist right-back, and Jack Hamilton would provide another option in attack.
With Callum Fordyce also injured and Byrne suspended, Potter and Cameron are currently light on options throughout the squad.
Getting Vaughan, last season’s top scorer, back to fitness after an interrupted start to the new campaign will be a massive boost.
But having just four outfield substitutes available on Saturday did not help the hunt for a breakthrough.
Loan signings will be expected this month. But also getting some of the injured players back will be imperative if Rovers are to start a push up the table from their current second-bottom spot.
Conversation