| Date | Wednesday, 29 December 2004 |
|---|---|
| Competition | Scottish League Division 1 |
| Fixture/Score | Raith Rovers 1:4 Ross County |
| Venue | Starks Park |
| Attendance | 1,127 |
| Referee | David Summers |
| Comments | Match Report Published: Press & Journal 30/12/2004 Raith Rovers 1 Ross County 4 Smith switch sparks a dramatic Ross revival Alex Smith's Ross County eased a little further away from the First Division relegation zone last night in Fife, but it took a second-half blitz to stave off a potential embarrassment. Rovers, doomed to the drop, looked as if they were on course to win only their second game of the campaign when they were deservedly leading 1-0 at the break. However, changes at half-time and a hungrier second-half showing edged the Dingwall side further out of the danger zone. County, who had been followed by a hardy band of souls from the north in biting gales and rain, should have taken the lead in the 11th minute. When John Rankin's cross from the right fell at the backpost it looked as if the stooping Jim Lauchlan would divert it into the net. However, the big man just could not stretch far enough to get contact required and the visitors were to find themselves behind three minutes later. A slick move resulted in Darren Brady's effort being clawed away by keeper Colin Stewart, but Craig Malcolm was first to react and he battered the ball into the net, much to the delight of Gordon Dalziel. The Highland outfit looked off the pace and underwhelmed by the occasion and the wintry conditions. It was little surprise, therefore, when Smith changed things around at half-time. Off went Gary McSewgan and Jamie McCunnie and on went Sean Kilgannon and David Winters. The impact was immediate and in the 52nd minute County levelled. Alex Burke found Cowie in space on the right, he looked up and rifled a stunning right-foot shot high into the net away from Rudy Pounoussamy. Then in the 60th minute a low Lauchlan shot found the net following a deflection and sub David Winters made it 3-1 in 73 minutes when he rounded the Raith goalkeeper and the ball into an empty net. Burke added a carbon copy goal five minutes later to complete the second-half rout. |
| Ross County | |
| Manager | Alexander (Alex) Smith |
| Starting 11 | 1: Colin Stewart, 2: James Lauchlan 1, 3: Martin Canning, 4: John Robertson, 5: Mark McCulloch, 6: Don (JNR) Cowie 1, 7: John Rankin, 8: Jamie McCunnie, 9: Fergus Tiernan, 10: Alexander Burke 1, 11: Gary McSwegan |
| Bench | 0: Stuart Garden, 0: Stuart Malcolm, 0: Sean Kilgannon, 0: David Winters 1, 0: Steven McGarry |
| Raith Rovers | |
| Manager | Gordon Dalziel |
| Starting 11 | Rudy Pounoussamy 1, Jonathan Smart, Ian Davidson, Shaun Dennis, Francisco Paquito, Bruce Raffell, Colin Leiper, Darren Brady, Paul Millar, Craig Malcolm 1, John Martin 1 |
| Bench | Stuart Hall, Stephen Tulloch, John Boyle, Lloyd Young, Hamed Sacko |