The Scotsman

Rovers and United ready for title-defining showdown in front of big Kirkcaldy crowd

- Mark Atkinson

A full house is expected at Stark’s Park tonight as the top two do battle in the cinch Championsh­ip.

Raith Rovers host league leaders Dundee United in Kirkcaldy for a match that will have big consequenc­es on who wins automatic promotion to the Premiershi­p. The visitors have sold all of their tickets for the game, with just under 3,500 Tangerines set to descend on Fife to back their team. Raith only have a handful of briefs available for the match, which will be broadcast live on BBC Scotland.

After 22 matches in Scotland’s second tier, United lead second-placed Rovers by four points. With Partick Thistle a further seven points adrift of Raith, it appears a straight shoot-out between the two for the league crown.

The momentum in the title race has shifted markedly since the two teams last clashed on December 16. In that match, a goal from Raith’s Dylan Easton gave them a precious 1-0 win at Tannadice to move them top of the table.

Since then, though, Ian Murray’s men have suffered an alarming dip in form.

They have won once – a Fife derby triumph over a freefallin­g Dunfermlin­e outfit – and are on a five-game losing streak across all competitio­ns. Conversely, United have responded well to that loss, with their only blot on the copybook being a 3-2 home defeat by in-form Morton last month.

“It’s the biggest game of the season, without a doubt,” said United manager Jim Goodwin. “There’s a lot riding on it for both teams. We’ll be going there positive, looking to win the game and make that gap even wider. We are not thinking any negative thoughts about, “what if we lose the game?” It’s all geared towards us imposing ourselves on Raith and identifyin­g weaknesses in their side, while being very aware of the strengths they possess.”

Rovers boss Murray does not expect any stage-fright from his players. "I feel that in the bigger games, if you want to call them that, we’ve done very well this season,” he said. “We’ve got a decent record in front of the cameras.”

 ?? ?? Dylan Easton: December goal
Dylan Easton: December goal

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