There was no sugar-coating Raith Rovers’ defeat to Falkirk on Saturday as far as manager Neill Collins was concerned.
‘Second best’, ‘sobering’ and expecting ‘more of a fight’ were just some of the phrases used by the Stark’s Park boss in the immediate aftermath of the 3-0 loss.
The Bairns took just four minutes to hit the front with the first of Alfie Agyeman’s brace, with the former Kelty Hearts winger adding his second 11 minutes after the restart.
A Keelan Adams header that found the net via the unfortunate Kai Montagu compounded a miserable afternoon for the Kirkcaldy men.
Courier Sport was on hand to assess the action.
Dreams quickly fade
Having come so close to promotion to the Premiership last season, the aims would have been high over the summer.
Whilst Ross County proved too good for Raith, they were quite clearly the second-best team in the Championship behind the bigger budget of Dundee United.
And they could still dream of reaching the top-flight until the second-leg of the play-off final.
But it is not too pessimistic to suggest that, as things stand, the Stark’s Park men are facing a relegation battle this term.
Saturday’s defeat left them in eighth place – with just one more win keeping them above Morton on the same points and with the same goal difference.
More worryingly, they are 11 points adrift of Partick Thistle in fourth and even ten away from Queen’s Park in fifth.
There is a mid-table split developing in the league and Rovers are firmly in the bottom half.
Manager Neill Collins was plunged into a difficult situation not of his own making following the club’s decision to sack Ian Murray after the opening league game.
The upheaval with the season under way has done nothing for Raith’s chances of building on last season.
And, despite the quality of the players at their disposal, if they are not careful they could find themselves in serious trouble come the spring.
Travel sickness
Raith have failed to win a single game away from home in the league all season.
In fact, from seven matches on the road – five of them Neill Collins – they have taken just a single point.
Those statistics show they are the second-worst team in the division, with a goal difference of minus 11.
In times of struggles, most teams talk about the need to be better in ‘both boxes’.
And Rovers are the epitome of that away from Stark’s Park.
Under Collins, they have scored ten goals in six games at home – but just two in five matches on the road.
Their Expected Goals of 0.98 is the second-worst in the league, with only Morton marginally poorer.
By contrast, Falkirk are the best team in the Championship at their own stadium, with a win percentage of 88.
So, Saturday was always going to be a tough task for Raith.
But they found a way to beat the Bairns in Kirkcaldy back in September, when they ended John McGlynn’s side’s 17-month undefeated run in the league.
Under Collins, they have lost just one of their six home games – but the dire record on opponents’ soil simply has to change.
Derby delight or Fife flop?
The defeat at Falkirk was just a second in six games for Raith, but served up consecutive losses in the league.
Returning to Stark’s Park will give them some comfort.
But the fans who booed both at half-time and full-time against the Bairns will need to see much more from the team.
That the next match is against rivals Dunfermline only amplifies both the need for a positive result and the consequences of not delivering.
The Pars leapfrogged over Rovers on goal difference at the weekend after their own disappointing start to the season.
And, having lorded it over the East End Park men last term with a historic five straight wins in an unbeaten six clashes, Raith desperately need a victory.
The first derby of the campaign went to Dunfermline in Collins’ maiden league fixture in charge back in September.
A second defeat to the Fifers would be extremely difficult to take for Rovers fans who got used to success last term.
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