The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Vaughan return inspires Stark’s men
RAITH ROVERS 4 DUMBARTON 2
The reappearance of Lewis Vaughan provided the icing on the cake for Raith Rovers as they overturned a 2-1 interval deficit with three second-half counters.
Vaughan, returning to the squad earlier than expected after injury, came off the bench with 20 minutes to go and scored Raith’s final goal, just seconds after Euan Murray had given them a late lead.
Raith produced an impressive secondhalf performance and eventually got the better of a Dumbarton side who had been superior in the first and scored two excellent goals.
A biting cold wind and rain swirled around Stark’s Park for most of the game but both sides creditably served up large doses of good football.
Raith were hit with the proverbial sucker punch after only nine minutes. Keeper Robbie Thomson took a regular goal kick but the ball quickly found its way to Ross Forbes, who noticed Thomson hadn’t fully retreated to his line, and fired home a rising, unstoppable shot from around 40 yards.
Raith needed a swift response – and they got one. Three minutes later Kevin Nisbet swung in a cross from the left and Daniel Armstrong headed decisively into the net.
Dumbarton recaptured the lead in the 20th minute and there was little doubt their play merited it. Ex-raith man Bobby Barr combined with Cameron Ballantyne for a slick backheeling one-two move on the right and, as the Raith defence stood back, the ball came across to Michael Paton, who scored from close in.
Armstrong delivered a corner kick in 23 minutes, with Kyle Benedictus unluckily heading over the bar. Another good Raith move 11 minutes later saw Liam Buchanan link with Armstrong for another cross, which this time saw Nisbet heading just too high.
In the second half, it was a fine team move on the left flank which produced Rovers’ equaliser after 62 minutes. Beginning from deep, Buchanan threaded the ball through to Flanagan and his cross into the box was controlled by Nisbet, who slid the ball under Jamie Mcgowan’s body.
There was a sense of hope as Vaughan came on in place of Liam Buchanan in the 69th minute, which the Raith fans hoped would be plenty of time for him to inflict some damage.
Dumbarton’s Dominic Thomas forced Thomson to make a fine save five minutes from time from a powerful, low free-kick.
The goal which nudged Raith into an 86th-minute lead had a touch of the eccentric about it, as Armstrong floated a high cross into the box from the right. Euan Murray tried to lob the keeper and, although he seemed not to catch the ball properly, it spiralled upwards and looped over Mcgowan’s head.
It seemed that would be enough but seconds later Vaughan added the final touch after surging through the middle.