Despite now being into 2013, we welcome Raith Rovers to the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium for only the first time this season.
It’s fair to say that their season has been very much like our own up until now, emphasised by the fact that only one point currently separates us both in the league table.
A 0-0 draw was battled out between the sides when we met at Starks Park earlier in the season but Raith’s front pairing of Pat Clarke and Brian Graham have been in fine form for most of the campaign finding the net an impressive 26 times between them in all competitions. It comes as no surprise then that a 2-0 victory at home to Airdrie last Saturday was sealed thanks to a goal apiece from the in-form duo.
Graham, a free signing from Greenock Morton a year and a half ago, finished last season with 11 goals in total. He’s already amassed 19 so far this season, including consecutive braces against Berwick, Hamilton and Montrose back in August. After John Baird left for Dundee in the summer, the Raith fans could be forgiven for worrying where their teams goals were going to come from but Graham has stepped up to the plate excellently. He’ll undoubtedly be a threat today as he searches for goal number 20.
That win against Airdrie last weekend was actually Raith’s first win since they beat Falkirk at Starks Park in early November. Although wins against Airdrie and Deveronvale in the Scottish Cup have come since, before Saturday, Raith were on a six game winless streak in the league and that sort of inconsistency is the reason they find themselves in mid-table and not closer to the top, thrashing it out for the title.
A familiar face is likely to be lining up for Raith today with Allan Walker pulling the strings in the centre of midfield. After leaving here in 2008 to join the Starks Park outfit, Allan has gone on to make over 150 appearances and is more often than not one of the first names on Grant Murray’s team sheet.
For the alert amongst you, another former Livi player could feature for Raith today. Midfielder Stuart Anderson was given a short-term deal towards the end of the 2006-2007 season by Mark Proctor and told he had until the end of that season to prove he was worth an extension. Anderson made six appearances before Proctor decided to look elsewhere and the Banff-born man went on to play for Peterhead, Salisbury City and Eastbourne Borough before becoming Murray’s first signing for Rovers in the summer.
Although still a few weeks away, it won’t be a surprise if the Raith players are struggling to keep their mind of their upcoming Scottish Cup tie at home to SPL champions Celtic. Having already met the Glasgow giants at Parkhead in the Scottish Communities League Cup back in September, the whole club will be keen to improve on the 4-1 defeat they received that night and will be relishing the challenge of taking on Lennon’s side at a packed Starks Park in front of the TV cameras.
The last time Raith travelled to Livingston, John Hughes was taking charge of his first game here and a 4-0 victory got him off to the best possible start. With Hughes now gone though and Gareth Evans in charge, Murray will be hoping his side can kick on from that victory against Airdrie last weekend and claim their first league win in West Lothian since a 4-0 success back in September 2000 – when, believe it or not, a certain Marvin Andrews helped himself to a double.
Dave Black
As published in 'ROAR' - the Livingston FC matchday magazine.
It’s fair to say that their season has been very much like our own up until now, emphasised by the fact that only one point currently separates us both in the league table.
A 0-0 draw was battled out between the sides when we met at Starks Park earlier in the season but Raith’s front pairing of Pat Clarke and Brian Graham have been in fine form for most of the campaign finding the net an impressive 26 times between them in all competitions. It comes as no surprise then that a 2-0 victory at home to Airdrie last Saturday was sealed thanks to a goal apiece from the in-form duo.
Graham, a free signing from Greenock Morton a year and a half ago, finished last season with 11 goals in total. He’s already amassed 19 so far this season, including consecutive braces against Berwick, Hamilton and Montrose back in August. After John Baird left for Dundee in the summer, the Raith fans could be forgiven for worrying where their teams goals were going to come from but Graham has stepped up to the plate excellently. He’ll undoubtedly be a threat today as he searches for goal number 20.
That win against Airdrie last weekend was actually Raith’s first win since they beat Falkirk at Starks Park in early November. Although wins against Airdrie and Deveronvale in the Scottish Cup have come since, before Saturday, Raith were on a six game winless streak in the league and that sort of inconsistency is the reason they find themselves in mid-table and not closer to the top, thrashing it out for the title.
A familiar face is likely to be lining up for Raith today with Allan Walker pulling the strings in the centre of midfield. After leaving here in 2008 to join the Starks Park outfit, Allan has gone on to make over 150 appearances and is more often than not one of the first names on Grant Murray’s team sheet.
For the alert amongst you, another former Livi player could feature for Raith today. Midfielder Stuart Anderson was given a short-term deal towards the end of the 2006-2007 season by Mark Proctor and told he had until the end of that season to prove he was worth an extension. Anderson made six appearances before Proctor decided to look elsewhere and the Banff-born man went on to play for Peterhead, Salisbury City and Eastbourne Borough before becoming Murray’s first signing for Rovers in the summer.
Although still a few weeks away, it won’t be a surprise if the Raith players are struggling to keep their mind of their upcoming Scottish Cup tie at home to SPL champions Celtic. Having already met the Glasgow giants at Parkhead in the Scottish Communities League Cup back in September, the whole club will be keen to improve on the 4-1 defeat they received that night and will be relishing the challenge of taking on Lennon’s side at a packed Starks Park in front of the TV cameras.
The last time Raith travelled to Livingston, John Hughes was taking charge of his first game here and a 4-0 victory got him off to the best possible start. With Hughes now gone though and Gareth Evans in charge, Murray will be hoping his side can kick on from that victory against Airdrie last weekend and claim their first league win in West Lothian since a 4-0 success back in September 2000 – when, believe it or not, a certain Marvin Andrews helped himself to a double.
Dave Black
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