Albion Rovers 0 v 0 Raith Rovers a.e.t. Raith won 4-3 on pens

Attendance : 415

It was the battle of the Rovers in the Co-operative Insurance Cup when Albion Rovers hosted Raith Rovers at Cliftonhill. The home side took to the field resplendent in their new kit underdogs against second division opponents. At the end of a titanic struggle it was the Fifers who triumphed but only by the narrowest of margins.

An early test of the Albion Rovers defence saw 'keeper David Scott fumble the ball and a colleague clear it. A few minutes later Mark Ferry missed a golden chance to put Raith ahead when he dragged wide a shot as Scott was poorly placed to prevent a goal.

A Robert Sloan attempt from 30 yards was wide of the mark. In 22 minutes referee Stevie Nicholls awarded the visitors a penalty when Gareth Wardlaw was downed in the box by Alan Reid. Graham Weir took the spot-kick which struck the goalpost and exited the park.

In 27 minutes Ciaran Donnelly was shown a yellow card for mouthing off, shortly afterwards Alan Reid followed him into the book for a foul. A Mark Campbell bullet header from 8 yards brought an instinct save from Scott who turned it round the post.

Raith were well on top but the Albion Rovers defence were coping manfully. A low shot past the post by Craig Wilson was the last noteworthy incident in the first period.

Half-Time

In 50 minutes Raith captain Iain Davidson received what was to prove an important yellow card for kicking the ball away when the game had paused.

Slack play by Albion Rovers gave Mark ferry the chance to test Scott, the 'keeper proved equal to it as he turned the ball round the post. Allan Walker blasted high from inside the home penalty area. Next the Coatbridge men came close when good build-up play culminated in Willie Martin missing from one yard when a Bobby Barr cross reached him.

Three minutes later Barr embarked on a crusade down the wing and towards goal. It fizzled out with a ball which was neither a cross or shot. The home side now appeared to have belief in themselves and some of their passing moves were impressive. The visitors took off Ferry and Walker to be replaced with Joe Dunbar and former Cliftonhill favourite Chris Silvestro who received a generous reception from fans.

Marc Pollock then replaced Tommy Coyne. Sloan tried his luck with a header to Scott before gaffer Paul Martin replaced Brian Smith with Pat Walker. Willie Martin then headed a cross over the bar from the vicinity of the penalty spot.

In 80 minutes Davidson was shown another yellow and the obligatory red also. Once more it was a silly offence, and as he approached the tunnel he reacted to disdain from the fans with obscene hand gestures.

When Wardlaw went down like the proverbial sack of spuds in the "D" at Albion Rovers penalty area he was rewarded with a free-kick which Dunbar put over the assembled wall and crossbar. A mix-up in the Raith defence let Albion Rovers advance goalward and put a cross into the opposition area, a defender intervened by kicking the ball just over his own crossbar.

Robert Walker was next up and his cross into the Raith box was put over by Donnelly. A Barr run and low shot tested David McGurn as both sets of fans jointly sang songs praising Rovers! Seconds before the whistle for the end of normal time blew Gary McKenna replaced Willie Martin.

Extra-Time

Within a couple of minutes of extra-time commencing McKenna embarked on a run down the wing. He elected to strike what proved to be a wayward effort rather than cross to a brace of advancing colleagues.

Scott stopped a low Weir shot before the Raith man was substituted by Tam Graham. Following a cross Craig Wilson squandered what was the Fifers last chance of the first period of extra-time.

A massed assault on the Raith goal ended when McGurn cut out a low ball. Pat Walker had the ball in the net after a long pass upfield but was offside.

McKenna failing with a couple of efforts for the Coatbridge men and Andy Cook for the Kirkcaldy side ran down the watch to 120 minutes and penalties!

Barr had his spot-kick saved by McGurn then Wilson made no mistake. Pat Walker levelled the score before Silvestro fired his off the crossbar to safety.

Chris Hughes and Sloan kept parity by scoring theirs. Reid was next up and McGurn saved it, Mark Campbell made it 3-2 in favour of Raith. Regular penalty take Donnelly had a scare when his kick went on off McGurn. Wardlaw stepped up knowing a successful penalty would win the tie, and that's just what happened!

Summary

Albion Rovers got off to a shaky start against the 2nd division side whose squad contains a nucleus of full-timers. When they did spark into life it was as exciting as most cup ties. A very respectable performance. 

Albion Rovers : Scott, Reid, McGowan, Robert Walker, Hughes, Ferry, Barr, Donnelly, William Martin (McKenna 90), Coyne (Pollock 69), Smith (Pat Walker 76). Subs Not Used : McGoldrick, Mitchell.

Raith Rovers : McGurn, Wilson, Cook, Campbell, Ellis, Walker (Dunbar 63), Sloan, Davidson, Weir (Graham 95), Wardlaw, Ferry (Silvestro 64). Subs Not Used : Wedderburn, O'Connor.

Referee : Stevie Nicholls

Man of the Match : Bobby Barr

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