[FT] Raith Rovers 3 - 3 Rangers (Forrester 29; O'Halloran 35; Miller 48)

[Rousseau 9,360]

Stark's Park -- A seemingly innocuous away trip to Fife could see us finally cross the line in our long struggle to regain our place in the Scottish top flight. Although we could cross the line today, we are dependent on Hibernian dropping more points -- not out of the question considering their recent form -- and need to make sure we do our jobs. A win is not as easy as it appears, as games against Raith have been very tight.

 

Rovers have been on an excellent run of form, winning 7 of their last 9, including a 2-1 victory against Hibs. Their last defeat was against Rangers at Ibrox in a tight affair where goals from Forrester and Wallace gave us a narrow 2-0 win. Raith's form has seen them consolidate a play-off spot -- the other play-off hopefuls will not get an easy game against them.

 

Rangers meanwhile have bounced back after a first defeat in 15 against Falkirk, winning a pulsating game against Queen of the South 4-3. The stuttering victory was only ensured after a superb period just after half-time where 3 goals were scored in quick succession. Three goals conceded suggest the defensive frailties have re-appeared after it seemed we were starting to tighten up at the back.

 

Meetings between the two sides this season have been tight. Despite Raith being the only championship side yet to score against us this term, Rangers have only scored 1 or 2 goals against them -- omitting the 5-0 thrashing early on in September.

 

Raith play a solid 4-4-2, with young, disciplined players throughout the side. On loan Ranger Ryan Hardie (who has raced to being Rovers' 4th top scorer this season dispite playing only a handful of games) is ineligible. But on-loan Leicester forward Harry Panayiotou returns to the squad following international duty for St Nevis and Kitts. Forward Ryan McCord is always lively and will be dangerous on the counter.

 

Likewise Rangers will have Barrie McKay and Billy King available for selection again after international duty for the U-21's. Long-term absentees Templeton, Bell and Waghorn remain sidelined, but Zelalem seems to have recovered from his illness and will likely take his place on the bench. The return of the youngsters, again from international duty, will see them bolster the bench.

 

I suspect McKay will return to the first-team, with Forrester reverting to a midfield position alongside Holt and Halliday, with Ball returning to the bench. I predict a line-up of:

 

Foderingham

 

Tavernier - Kiernan - Wilson - Wallace ©

 

Holt - Halliday - Forrester

 

O'Halloran - Miller - McKay

 

Going by recent form and previous meetings, a tight game is on the cards. Our defensive frailties suggest we could quite easily concede today, but with the title within our grasp I suspect we should see a strong offensive performance. Score early and we could see a scoreline similar to the early 5-0 game, but if Raith keep us at bay for the first half-hour or so, then we could be in for a long afternoon. Again, patience and craft in the final third is key.

[MacK1950 2,231]

Good team selection with good bench options no doubt.

Will be leaving soon to drive up.

[ian1964 10,409]

[Zappa 0]

Thanks for the preview Rousseau, much appreciated mate!

[jhunter 0]

this will be tough

 

mackinnon has worked wonders with raith this season IMO.

[ian1964 10,409]

[ian1964 10,409]

Rangers: Foderingham; Tavernier, Kiernan, Wilson, Wallace; Halliday, Holt, Forrester; O’Halloran, Miller, McKay

Subs: Bell, Ball, Zelalem, Shiels, Law, Clark, King

[ian1964 10,409]

[Rousseau 9,360]

Ha! Not bad for a team prediction, eh?

 

Strong side, with more offensive ability. We need to score today, so Ball is a luxury; Halliday offers more offensively. I reckon it'll be a tricky game. Raith are always well organised and don't concede many goals. The players should know what's at stake, so it's up to them to go out and do the job.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Rousseau

[ian1964 10,409]

What a fucking goal,again! against us