Championship

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH maintained their unbeaten start to the Championship with a 3-1 victory over Raith Rovers.

But it took two moments of magic by striker Stephen Dobbie to open up a game which had seen neither keeper tested in the opening 45 minutes.

The 33-year-old, on his second term at Palmerston, eluded his markers just after the break to put the Dumfries men on their way to victory.

The marking had been tight by both sides in the opening period and the forwards were given little scope to get their sights on goal.

The Raith defenders gave no scope in particular to Queens playmaker Dobbie as he was trailed everywhere by a defender.

By the half-way mark of the opening period, Raith were beginning to look the more workmanlike side and their forays forward were causing a problem to the Dumfries defenders. They wasted a chance after forcing a 20-yard free kick which Declan McManus blasted well over.

Play was restricted pretty much to midfield after that and both teams went in frustrated at half-time.

The game suddenly burst into life seven minutes after the break when a neat three-man move saw Grant Anderson put Jamie Hamill down the right and he swung a cross behind the Raith defence for Dobbie to run in and sweep the ball home.

They went further ahead in 67 minutes and again it was Dobbie on the mark when he ran on to a pass from Anderson and smashed the ball past the helpless keeper from the edge of the box.

Substitute Jordan Brotherston scrambled home number three in 80 minutes when he put the ball past the keeper at the second attempt.

Jean-Yves M’Voto snatched a consolation for the Kirkcaldy side in the final minutes before Dobbie just failed to make his hat-trick with a shot which hit the post.