Barry Robson’s Raith Rovers tenure got off to a troubled start with a 3-0 defeat away to Ayr United on his debut.
Behind inside two minutes and an insurmountable three George Oakley goals adrift by the 25th minute, it was a wretched return to the dugout for the former Dundee United midfielder.
It started badly and could have got a whole lot worse before some semblance of order was restored with the aid of the half-time break.
Courier Sport was at Somerset Park to take in another new Raith manager’s debut.
Caught cold
When Robson was imagining his first match in charge of Raith, he would not have envisaged losing a key player before kick-off and a goal shortly after it.
When Paul Hanlon trotted up the tunnel during the warm-up and Callum Fordyce – listed as a substitute – then started preparing with Euan Murray and Liam Dick, it was clear something was up.
A hip issue, which hampered Hanlon earlier in the season, was later explained as the reason for the former Hibernian stalwart being unable to start the game.
But it should not have affected Rovers as badly as it seemed to in a chaotic first 120 seconds.
The Kirkcaldy men took the kick-off but Fordyce’s attempted long ball forward was partially charged down.
Then, after Oakley had headed over, goalkeeper Kevin Dabrowski miscued a clearance and moaned at Murray for the pass back.
Moments later, Raith were behind as Oakley swept in Jamie Murphy’s low cross.
Robson must have wondered what he had stepped into.
With plenty of experience, particularly in defence, Rovers should have handled the early setback far better.
Instead, with misplaced passes and poor control, they allowed Ayr to gather increasing momentum and pile on even more pressure.
It went from bad to worse. And three goals were the least the Honest Men deserved from a totally dominant first-half.
Judgement day
With only a couple of training sessions under his belt and an admission he is still familiarising himself with his players – and the Championship – Saturday’s game was always going to be a baptism of fire for Robson.
The way it panned out made it even more so.
Predecessor Neill Collins also kicked off life as Raith manager with a defeat away to Ayr.
A three-goal blitz from the hosts on that occasion also put Rovers to the sword, although the two-goal lead Collins’ side had built up early on was at least a more promising start.
With injury woes affecting plans before kick-off and during the game, the difficulties facing the new boss were clear.
He should still have been able to expect better from the team that was sent out.
And the former Aberdeen head coach was not slow to make changes, with the back three ditched in the first-half.
And two substitutions – Cody David and debutant Jordan Doherty for Lewis Jamieson and Kieran Freeman – followed at half-time.
Robson has already said it will take time for him to put his stamp on the team he has inherited.
And it would be daft to read too much into such a slipshod performance when trying to assess the new manager’s impact.
Treatment table
The loss of Hanlon just minutes before kick-off would undoubtedly have been disruptive.
And, by the end of the game, Raith had seen another two key individuals depart injured.
Dick looked to have suffered a muscle issue and the hope will be it was caught in time.
Shaun Byrne’s impact injury looked more worrying, with a stretcher being called for before he limped off.
With Scott Brown and Ross Matthews already missing, Rovers finished with three wingers – starter Aidan Connolly and subs Josh Mullin and Lewis Gibson – and a full-back (Lewis Stevenson) in midfield.
Elsewhere, defender Fankaty Dabo and strike trio Lewis Vaughan, Jack Hamilton and Callum Smith were also unavailable.
Only a matter of a few weeks ago, previous manager Neill Collins was able to boast of a near full-strength squad.
Robson has been dropped into something of an injury crisis.
The hope will be that some will be able to make quick returns. And Sam Stanton’s first appearance in a month was a positive.
But it may be the Stark’s Park outfit will need to work hard in the January transfer window to strengthen Robson’s options for the second half of the campaign.
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