There was no hiding Neill Collins’ disappointment, disbelief and frustration that Raith Rovers failed to land him the first victory of his Stark’s Park reign on Saturday. Despite being handed another major hurdle to overcome by conceding a controversial first-minute penalty, the Kirkcaldy side bounced back to earn themselves a deserved 3-1 lead over Hamilton Accies. A Lewis Stevenson stunner, Finlay Pollock’s debut goal and a Dylan Easton strike early in the second-half had Collins’ men in full control after the shock of Kevin O’Hara’s spot-kick.
However, on-loan St Johnstone midfielder Connor Smith gave the visitors hope, and Oli Shaw hooked in a 94th-minute leveller from a scrambled corner with almost the last kick of the ball. digs into Raith’s last-gasp draw. For the third game in a row since his appointment, Collins watched his side press the self-destruct button.
Against Ayr United in his debut match in charge, they blew a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 in the SPFL Trust Trophy. In the clash with Dunfermline, their attempts at winning a sixth consecutive Five derby never really got off the ground due to Euan Murray’s red card after just 15 minutes. And, on Saturday, they were behind instantly when they conceded a penalty after just 28 seconds.
It looked an extremely harsh call from referee Lloyd Wilson as Shaw and Kevin Dabrowski hurtled into a challenge inside the box. But, before that, Paul Hanlon had misjudged a long ball and the covering Liam Dick was sho.