Raith Rovers concluded a disappointing first quarter of the season with Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Queen’s Park.
It was a game that summed up much of the campaign so far as the Stark’s Park men were frustrated by wasteful finishing and good goalkeeping in their search for a victory.
At the other end, a wicked deflection aided their visitors’ second-half equaliser. And Raith’s attempts to find a late winner were thwarted before Dylan Easton’s late red card for dissent.
The start to this season contrasts wildly with 12 months ago.
With improvements expected in the second quarter under Neill Collins, Courier Sport has compared the numbers behind the two campaigns.
Managers: 1 (2023/24) and 3 (2024/25)
Last season kicked off with new club owners bringing fresh impetus off the pitch but with a settled picture on it.
Ian Murray had led Raith to seventh in the Championship in his first year in charge, a safe 12 points above the relegation play-off spot but also 14 adrift of the promotion places.
Opening the campaign in impressive fashion, Murray’s attacking style bore fruits immediately.
Fast forward 12 months and Murray lasted just one league game before being axed due to what Rovers say was ‘results and performances since the turn of the year’ falling ‘short of expectations’.
It then took the Kirkcaldy club 30 days to find a replacement, with technical director John Potter taking charge of three games before Neill Collins’ appointment.
Collins has now been in place for six matches and is unbeaten at Stark’s Park.
League Position: 2nd and 8th
After nine games last season, Raith were tucked in behind Dundee United at top of the Championship.
Four points adrift in second spot, Rovers had already proven themselves the most likely challengers to the title favourites.
After progressing through the Premier Sports Cup group stages, they were narrowly defeated by Hibernian at Easter Road, but were still in the SPFL Trust Trophy.
Nine games into the current campaign, Raith sit in eighth position in the league and are 15 points behind leaders Falkirk.
Seven points adrift of a promotion play-off place, they are just three points above Airdrie at the bottom.
After failing to get out of the League Cup under Murray, Rovers exited the SPFL Trust Trophy with a 3-2 defeat to Ayr United in Collins’ first game in charge.
Wins: 6 and 2
Raith kicked off last season with a draw away to Partick Thistle and then won their next four games in a row.
After a first defeat, against bogey team Airdrie, they then finished the first quarter with two more victories sandwiched either side of a draw with United.
It left them with a healthy haul of 20 points out of a possible 27 and just one defeat in nine league outings.
This season, a 1-0 loss to Airdrie cost Murray his job on the very first day of the campaign before Potter got an initial bounce with a narrow 1-0 victory over Partick.
But losses against Ayr and Livingston then followed prior to Collins being installed as Murray’s successor.
Defeats away to Dunfermline and Morton have been balanced by draws with Hamilton and Queen’s Park and a fantastic victory to end Falkirk’s 43-game unbeaten run on home soil.
It leaves Rovers with just eight points, although they could rightly claim they should really have five more.
Goals: 14 and 6
This is one of the most noticeable differences in the two campaigns.
After scoring eight times in their League Cup group last year, Raith found the back of the net with regularity in the league.
They had ten goals in their first five matches, including 3-2 wins over Morton and Queen’s Park and finished the quarter with 14 goals.
That included a late equaliser against Partick and last-ditch winners against Queen’s Park, Inverness Caley Thistle and Dunfermline.
Rovers were a threat from first minute until last.
Murray’s team netted seven times in the League Cup this season, but Raith have since found goals hard to come by in the league.
They have drawn a blank in five out of nine games and of their six goals three have been penalties, including the winners against Partick and Falkirk.
Chances are definitely being created – they enjoyed 11 shots and six on target against Queen’s Park at the weekend – but the clinical edge of 12 months ago currently eludes them.
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