Scottish championship

RAITH gaffer Ray McKinnon was a relieved man after his side emerged victorious in a pulsating fixture.

McKinnon said: “I thought at 2- 0 we should have gone on and dominated the game but we stopped doing what was productive for us.”

It was the home side who got off to a flyer and they were one up by the third minute. Ryan Hardie beat the offside trap before slotting home. Raith duly doubled their lead in the 24th minute.

Excellent work by Hardie again found Mark Stewart who raced clear and made no mistake.

The visitors fought back in the 41st minute when a Lawrence Shankland corner was powered in at the back post by Keith Watson.

Whatever the Buddies gaffer Alex Rae said at half-time looked to have worked as his side came out pressing and almost found an equaliser. Cuthbert saved well from a Watson header.

The Buddies were then hit with a thunderbolt as Rovers star man Hardie found the net twice in two minutes.

The first was bullet of a half-volley from 20 yards, the second a patient finish allowing him to complete his hat-trick.

Any thoughts that the game had been put to bed we re quickly dispelled though as once again Raith sat back allowing the Saints back into the game.

No one pressed David Clarkson and he duly made Raith pay, firing in from 20 yards on the hour mark. Rae’s men weren’t finished and they set up a grandstand finish in the 75th minute when Watson popped up again to cut the deficit to one.

Sustained pressure was to follow but the Buddies could not find the telling equaliser, leaving Rae was left to bemoan: “It was ridiculous. We pride ourselves on our organisation.”