Scottish Cup
Livingston survive a scare against Rovers
Raith Rovers were not able to claim a place in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup but they at least left the Tony Macaroni with plaudits and pride after taking Livingston to extra-time.
The second-tier promotion hopefuls gave the Lions a fright after deservedly taking the lead through Lewis Vaughan’s stunning 13th-minute free-kick.
Jack Fitzwater dashed Rovers hopes of an upset with a 70th-minute equaliser before substitute Matej Poplatnik notched the winner in the 109th minute.
Livingston manager Davie Martindale heaped praise on their opponents and believes Raith, who are currently second in the Championship, are good enough to play in the top flight.
He said: “I thought we were good value for it today, and deserved the win, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Raith Rovers in the Premiership next year.
“I think they’d be a fantastic addition.
“The average age of their squad if you take away Kyle Benedictus, Iain Davidson and Jamie Macdonald, they’ve got a right good young squad. It’s a testament to the job John and his staff have done.
“There was a wee 10 or 15-minute spell where we struggled to get to grips with them a little bit.
“It gave them a lift of confidence and they popped the ball about for fun.”
After Raith midfielder Dylan Tait knocked Nicky Devlin’s header off the line, the visitors stormed ahead after with a stunning set-piece from Vaughan.
The striker – who grabbed a brace in Tuesday’s thrashing of Dunfermline – caught out keeper Robby Mccrorie at his near post with an effort that flew over the wall from 20 yards.
Rovers’ intensity and attacking verve continued to cause problems.
Reghan Tumilty squeezed between Livingston pair Alan Forrest and Jackson Longridge at the corner of the box but his fierce near post drive was beaten behind by Mccrorie.
Regan Hendry then drilled an 18-yard effort straight at the on-loan Rangers shot-stopper.
If there were question marks over Mccrorie for Vaughan’s free kick then the goalkeeper made up for it in first half injury time with a fingertip save to keep out Tumilty’s half-volley.
Rovers midfielder Tait found himself in the right place at the right time again at the start of the second half after he cleared Lions left-back Jackson Longridge’s deflected drive off the line.
The home side kept up the pressure and got their reward in the 70th minute with an equaliser from Fitzwater.
Josh Mullin’s corner was headed back across goal by Jon Guthrie and the defender angled a half-volley into the net from 10 yards.
Extra-time was a tense affair but Livingston sealed the win with Poplatnik’s 109th-minute strike.
Devlin was the creator after racing into the box before pulling back for the sub to find the goal.
Rovers boss Mcglynn admits his team ran out of steam following a run of eight games in just under four weeks.
He said: “Maybe just all the games that we’ve had recently caught up with one or two of us whereas Livingston were fresh.
“But there are loads and loads of positives to take. Livingston are sitting fifth in the league, we’ve come to their patch and over 90 minutes it’s one each.
“The last time they played here it was one-one with Hibs, it speaks volumes for our players.
“We now have five league games to go, we’re sitting in second position and we want to consolidate that position.”