Raith Against The Machine

There's the injuries started... (Just a nosebleed for Ethon Varian, I'm sure he'll be fine.)

It was an odd one from Bene. He got himself into trouble, and then looked to have turned away from the man and back into safety but he snatched at the pass away. Not like him.

Well, this game has come to life.

I suppose there's something to be said for consistency, but aye, I'd have pitched a couple of others into the starting line up. I'm surprised that he's left Poplatnik out again, with this approach. Zanatta and Connolly look a little narrower than they've been of late, which I suppose you'd expect. More of a 4-3-3 than a 4-5-1.

"Now I know we needed a new manager, so I asked around and got the one that everyone wanted." "You got us...!" "...Oh, yeah... Great... Thanks Ross."

"Peter Grant - He wouldn't sack you."

You can't recall players outside of a window.

"Grant, you're fired!" "Hold on Chief, I've done the analysis. He might not be that bad." "That's right! Without me... you could go... bottomer..."

How many sponsors do you have? That's the real quiz.

"Were you sent here by the devil?" "No good sir, I'm Thomas Meggle!"

"What about us loanee flops?" "You'll be given starting slots!"

Because he didn't submit a CV.

Ooft. Lads. You have my sincere sympathies. That's brutal.

For fans of visual metaphor, there was a car crash on Halbeath Road this morning. The person responsible has been sack... er, charged with careless driving.

Dearie me.

Peter Grant's CV speaks for itself because it doesn't want to be associated with him either.

Pills? I'm high on John McGlynn and Raith Rovers Football Club, baby.

Absolutely loved being in that away end today. It felt like some small compensation for all the games we missed. There are so many times that John McGlynn and this team should've been lauded at the end of a game, and they more than deserved it today. If you'd asked me before the game to name two players from the starting group who needed to step up, I'd probably have pointed to Ethon Varian and Liam Dick. Nothing pleased me more than seeing them combine - somewhat unusually - for the opening goal. Killie didn't seem to have much in terms of a strategy. It felt a bit like watching one of Barry Smith's League One Rovers sides. Stick out your best eleven and wait until their quality shines through. A lot of the time it'll work, but when it doesn't it's infuriating to watch. I'm sure a fit and firing Chris Burke would've asked more questions down the flank, but there should've been more jeopardy involved in McGlynn switching his full-backs into wing-backs. One of them scored the first goal near enough inside the six yard box and the other set up the third from the byline, but Killie made very little attempt to get in behind them. I know the goal eventually came from one, but hitting crosses and big diagonals from deep were a dream for Berra, Lang and Benedictus who were all imperious, Lang's miscommunication with MacDonald at the backpass aside. There wasn't a failure out there for the Rovers today, but a special mention for Brad Spencer and Ross Matthews. While Tait has garnered the attention and has taken the onus for being the point man in that midfield, those two have been excellent recently and they were tremendous today. Just really excellent use of the ball, and that almost telepathic partnership has developed to allow them to play their way out of bother as a duo. We'll never replace Hendry's technical ability in the middle, but they're offering a more than viable McGlynn-ball midfield engine room. Big shout to Matej Poplatnik too. I'm going to be unfair to James Keatings here and make an assumption that at least part of his departure to Montrose was down to an unhappiness to play second fiddle to a teenager. Poplatnik has been in that boat too, but he looked good when he came on against Dunfermline, and he was obviously outstanding today. The touch and finish for the first is the kind of instinctive striker play we basically haven't seen from anyone other than Vaughan yet this season. And aside from his two goals, he also took the sting out of any potential Kilmarnock response every time the ball came near him. When he was out on the touchline keeping the ball off two Killie players and then, instead of going to the corner he went back up the line, waited for a third defender and then slipped Tumilty into the channel... if he was an opera singer I'd have thrown roses at his feet. Sublime. But just to go back to the support. The last time I felt like that was at Firhill just before the lockdown, and it felt like there was a proper connect between the team and the fans. I know lots of supports think that whenever they're winning, but I'm just glad it's us. There's a brilliant vibe in the travelling support in particular, and long may it continue. Karen Macartney should be on the phone first thing Monday morning to get a deposit down on a plinth for the John McGlynn statue. What a man.

Uh the Pacific Islands' entrants to the Asian Champions League beg to differ. Have Killie been in the Asian Champions League?

Uh... the signing is being kept under wraps until 3pm tomorrow in order to exploit the element of surprise against Killie...?

I suppose there's a small chance they're waiting on getting him in for photos before announcing it...

Keatings is out the picture, that seems pretty clear. I suspect he'll be fine for Montrose without being world-beating, and we'll negotiate his transfer for a bag of bibs in January. The spectre of Timmy Abraham looms large over this loan window, I imagine. I've no idea how much he cost last season, but I'm sure it was more than free. I can only speak for myself, but it's very much the case that the money I put into the Supporter's Fund goes without any caveats beyond being at the manager's discretion. If anything, I'd be more upset to see it squandered on another club's teenager that won't make an impact. I find it puzzling and immature in the extreme when people talk about pulling that funding. There are innumerable factors in the transfer windows that we're not party to. The idea that John McGlynn had a reasonable option available and chose not to take it is bizarre and completely illogical. If anything, it's a real advantage to have a manager who won't pad out his squad just because he can. (Not looking in any particular direction, or at anyone's seven centre halfs, Mr Grant.) Money that's not spent now will be available to spend in January. It's frustrating to be going into the next three months (minimum) with only three strikers, and only one over the age of 19, but if McGlynn thinks this is the best way to play the cards he's been dealt, I'm with him.

Makes perfect sense, and should be a good move for all three parties. You'd have to imagine Dave McKay goes straight into the starting line-up in League Two, and in his favoured position. Barring a huge injury crisis, he's not going to get that at Stark's at the moment. As above, hopefully that's freeing up wages for a specific target to come in today, but it's still a sensible move even without someone arriving.

The first half we were playing football that was very similar to last season. The Pars made two subs at half time to press us much higher and stopped Benedictus and Berra being able to build so comfortably. We absolutely miss Hendry, though. The passing and moving across the team is still there most of the time, but he just had a way of making the whole thing tick just that little bit faster.