Neill Collins was denied a victory in his Raith Rovers dugout debut after a stunning second-half comeback from Ayr United.
The Stark’s Park side took a firm grip of the SPFL Trust Trophy encounter at Somerset Park right from the first whistle.
With Collins constantly shouting instructions and encouragement from the sidelines, Callum Smith grabbed a 12th-minute opener for the Kirkcaldy men.
And Dylan Easton, who was later denied what looked like a certain penalty, fired in a second just three minutes later.
But Anton Dowds’ penalty only three minutes after the interval gave Ayr the lifeline they sought.
And then Dowds levelled things up with his second in the 69th-minute before George Oakley snatched a dramatic win for the Honest Men just a minute later.
Formation and tactics
Raith abandoned their usual four-man defence against Livingston the previous weekend.
It was a case of needs must due to injuries, and they stuck with the same formation for Collins’ dugout debut.
With Shaun Byrne – red-carded on league duty at Somerset Park a fortnight ago – available again, he was restored to the heart of the team.
But, with Euan Murray dropping out due to a groin injury, the versatile Ross Matthews slipped back into a centre-half role and Josh Mullin continued in central midfield.
That did not stop Matthews getting forward when he could in the opening stages, with Liam Dick doing the same from the left of spare man Paul Hanlon.
Dream start
Collins opened his account with last club Barnsley with a 7-0 victory over Port Vale.
On that occasion, Devante Cole took 23 minutes to make the breakthrough.
But here they were two goals to the good after just 14.
The visitors were full of energy and intent in the opening exchanges and surged in front in the 12th minute.
Lewis Gibson robbed Paddy Reading of possession in a dangerous area and Lewis Jamieson’s subsequent shot was parried by Harry Stone in the Ayr goal.
Smith pounced and proved his predatory instincts as he found the net from close range via the left-hand post.
Just three minutes later, they doubled their advantage.
Again, Gibson won the ball high up from the slack home defence and Easton turned home from ten yards out.
Belief
The confidence that has been missing for much of this season was back and Mullin was just wide from the edge of the box with a low shot in the 32nd minute.
His intervention was more vital at the other end just three minutes earlier when a ricochet off Paul Hanlon’s boot was heading for the net before he hacked clear.
It finished off a dangerous spell for the home team, who saw Reading’s drive batted away by Kevin Dabrowski and then Hanlon’s last-ditch tackle deny Anton Dowds.
Dabrowski was again to the fore as he blocked Jay Henderson from point-blank range as Raith held firm.
Ayr comeback
If the first-half had started impressively for Rovers, it was the opposite after the break.
Dowds had a 20-yard shot saved by Dabrowski before referee Graham Grainger awarded a penalty for an apparent hand ball from the resulting cross into the heart of the box.
Dowds expertly sent Dabrowski the wrong way from the spot.
Just two minutes later, George Oakley nudged a header over the bar and Rovers were rocking.
Collins responded with the introduction of fit-again duo Sam Stanton and Kieran Freeman in place of Easton and Gibson.
But then came Ayr’s quick-fire double.
Both came down their right as, first, Dowds turned in a Dylan Watret cutback and, then, Oakley fired in a Ben Dempsey centre.
And Raith could not find the kind of late riposte that they made their trademark last season.
Line-up
Raith: (3-4-1-2): Dabrowski; Matthews, Hanlon, Dick; Gibson (Freeman 64), Mullin (Vaughan 75), Byrne, Stevenson; Easton (Stanton 64); Smith, Jamieson (Connolly 82). Subs not used: McNeil, Montagu, Nicholson.
Referee: Graham Grainger.
Attendance: 1,750.
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