Advantage Raith as the Fife Derby draws blank
McGlynn’s men take control of tie
D0
UNFERMLINE were unable to make the most of their home advantage in the first leg of the play-off quarterfinals as last night’s Fife derby ended goalless.
Raith Rovers will be the happier of the two sides ahead of the return fixture at Stark’s Park this weekend, safe in the knowledge that a home win over their rivals will book their place in the semis, where James McPake’s Dundee await.
“I thought both teams had their spells in the game,” said Raith manager John McGlynn. “It was nip and tuck.
“Dunfermline were very wellorganised. They pressed us and tried to force us into errors, and it worked on a few occasions.
“I’m delighted to come here and come away with a 0-0. The team organisation was really good and we moved the ball about well. We live to fight another day.”
It was Raith who looked the more in-the-mood of the two sides from the get-go. McGlynn’s men were brave on the ball and weren’t exactly shy about committing men forward in attack, leaving Dunfermline pinned back in their own half for the most part.
The Pars were aggressive out of possession and laid down an early marker with a few fullblooded challenges, and Stevie Crawford’s side really should have found themselves ahead with 10 minutes on the clock.
Regan Tumilty was dallying on the ball near the halfway line and was promptly robbed by Ewan Henderson, who then drove menacingly towards goal. Kevin O’Hara was free to his left but instead the Celtic loanee elected to shift the ball right where it was intercepted by left-back Kieran MacDonald, cheaply giving away possession without even testing Jamie MacDonald.
The visitors’ promising start soon fizzled out. They had plenty of the ball and the way they moved it around was easy on the eye but all too often, the move would break down as Raith entered the final third.
A superb save from MacDonald kept them in the game after O’Hara had sprung beyond the last man and zeroed in on goal; the forward’s powerfully-struck shot was tipped wide of the far post courtesy of a smart reaction stop from the Raith No.1.
Craig Wighton was next to have a go for the home side, narrowly missing the target as the Pars upped their bid to make that all-important breakthrough. At the other end, Steven Whittaker found himself in the book for persistent fouling but for all their possession, Raith rarely looked like seriously troubling Owain Fon Williams.
A neat ball from Dom Thomas resulted in Wighton bursting unopposed into the box but rather than having a go, he instead tried to square it to Declan McManus, who prodded wide. Moments later Henderson tested MacDonald with a venomous dipping strike from 25 yards.
The men from Kirkcaldy emerged for the second half with a renewed sense of purpose. Still, Fon Williams didn’t have a save to make. For all their encouraging build-up play, clear-cut chances eluded the visitors.
Henderson went close for the hosts after a well-worked counter-attack resulted in the midfielder having a sight of goal from 25 yards out but the 21-year-old screwed his driven shot narrowly over the bar.
The game became more open the longer the contest went on, but the two rivals searched in vain for a match-winning moment that would never arrive.
“I was delighted with the application from my players,” Crawford said at full-time. “I thought we created the better chances and other than not winning the game, there’s a lot of positives to take from tonight. “Our creative play, our movement – and it wasn’t just one or two of my players. Credit to all of them and the way that they went about our business.”