Raith Rovers crashed to an agonising 3-2 defeat at home to Morton on Saturday.
Neill Collins’ men seemed to have done the hard part after roaring back from two goals down to level the game up with nine minutes remaining.
However, they were hit with a sucker punch in the first minute of stoppage time to lose at Stark’s Park for the first time since the new manager’s arrival in September.
Courier Sport was on hand to run the rule over the frenetic action.
Sleepy Rovers
Raith were well short of their best in the opening exchanges against Morton.
The visitors were very good, shifting the ball from flank to flank and stressing the home defence.
But it was too easy for the Greenock men as they surged into a 2-0 lead after only 24 minutes.
The opener came just five minutes in and was a bit of a mess as far as Rovers were concerned.
A pass in behind picked out an unmarked runner and, when Lewis Stevenson tracked across his tackle, only teed up the ball for Filip Stuparevic, who finished clinically.
The hosts reacted reasonably well, with Dylan Easton heading wide and a Lewis Jamieson effort being blocked.
But the second was all too easy for ‘Ton as a corner from the right was headed in by Stuparevic.
Collins’ side woke from their early slumber and looked to have had a perfectly good goal not awarded before Jack Hamilton struck the post.
The half finished with Raith in command.
But, when the first goal is often so crucial in the Championship, to gift-wrap two is asking for trouble.
Defence policy
Raith have kept four clean sheets in the league this season and have won every time they have.
But those are the only Championship games they have won.
The first came back in August against Partick Thistle when technical director John Potter was in temporary charge.
The other three – against Falkirk, Airdrie and Ayr United – have been on Collins’ watch.
Last season, at the same stage, Rovers actually had one less shut-out.
But then they were winning games – nine of 13 – even when they were losing goals.
The goals conceded to Morton were poor from a defensive point of view, with mistakes punished severely.
However, they appear to be struggling to find the balance between dogged defending and the kind of intense attacking that lit up the second-half against Morton.
All the teams above them in the table have surrendered fewer goals and all bar Dunfermline below them have conceded more.
It may not be as exciting, but keeping the back door shut – even if it is at the expense of some of the vibrancy up front – will bring its rewards.
Bench boost
There were times last season when Raith could not fill their bench due to injuries and the limitations of their squad.
But one look at the substitutes on Saturday was an indication of the strength in depth Rovers now have.
Even without the unfortunate injured pair of Lewis Vaughan and Callum Smith, Collins has options to turn to when he needs to.
Granted, he may be better off in some areas than others.
That will especially be the case in the number nine position if Jack Hamilton’s head injury keeps him out for any length of time.
But the performances of Lewis Gibson and Cody David, in particular, against Morton will have heartened Collins.
Gibson was very lively on the left flank and won the free-kick that sparked Raith’s first goal and then the penalty for the leveller.
And, in David, Rovers may have found themselves a centre-forward to trouble even the most robust of defences.
The former Everton trainee was a real handful after his introduction around the hour mark, with his speed and physicality just what the Stark’s Park men needed.
He clearly has a powerful shot as well, as one near-post effort proved just moments after he came on.
The 24-year-old arrived in Kirkcaldy short of match fitness but he has shown enough to suggest he is going to be a valuable weapon.
With the likes of Josh Mullin, Callum Fordyce, Euan Murray and Ross Matthews all waiting in the wings, Raith will be hoping to benefit from the strength of their squad in the coming weeks.
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