Dunfermline edge Raith Rovers in Fife derby shoot-out but both managers admit they have work to do

There was no easing into the new season as Dunfermline edged local rivals Raith Rovers in a penalty shoot-out after battling out a frantic 1-1 draw in their Viaplay Cup opener at Stark's Park.

Dunfermline's Matthew Todd celebrates after scoring the winning penalty against Raith Rovers. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The sides may have preferred to have avoided each other as their first competitive fixture of the campaign given the leap straight from pre-season friendlies into a Fife derby was always going to be a tough adjustment.

In fairness to both sides, they put on a good spectacle as the biblical downpour before kick-off that reminded of the recent Scotland v Georgia debacle made way for evening sunshine while Rovers' astroturf surface ensured there was no need to deploy the squeegees.

The two goals were worth the admission alone - the impressive Lewis McCann putting the Pars in front on the half hour after slaloming through the Raith defence and finding the bottom corner, before Dylan Easton answered for Raith with an equally dazzling solo effort eight minutes later, zig-zagging between some admittedly weak Dunfermline tackling before clipping a glorious finish beyond Deniz Mehmet.

Both sides also hit the woodwork in an evenly contested first-half - Josh Edwards smacking the outside of the post after outpacing the Raith defence, while Jamie Gullan rattled the crossbar with a 30-yard free-kick.

Rovers shaded the second half - Mehmet made two excellent saves from a Liam Dick header and a Lewis Vaughan strike to keep his side on level terms - but their attempts to find a winner rather fizzled out before the end and it was the Pars who claimed the bonus point and the bragging rights in the shoot-out, Matthew Todd firing the decisive kick past Kevin Dabrowski after both Gullan and Vaughan had missed for Raith.

It was telling afterwards that neither manager was particularly happy with the performance of their side.

Pars boss James McPake was delighted with the outcome – especially after suffering two shoot-out defeats in a group stage exit last season – but admitted there was plenty room for improvement.

"Last season it was a penalty shoot-out that out us out this cup so we know how important that was," he said. "I don't think either team deserved to win. They had spells, we had spells. If it was a league game, walking away with a draw I probably would have been happy because certain things in that game we didn't do to the level that we've shown. For me it was the simple things that let us down. The five-yard pass, simple balls and winning our headers. They did that side of the game better, but there was certian things in the game we were better at as well. It's a mixed bag in terms of positives and negatives but if it was a league game I'd be be delighted with a point."

Raith boss Ian Murray meanwhile admitted his side still have some work to do to get up to full speed.

"I'm disappointed we never won the game in the 90," he said. "Looking around at all the fixtures today there are not many teams that are ready. There's a lot of work to be done for a lot of us. We're all in the same boat. We wouldn't have got too carried away if we won today and we're certaintly not going to get too downbeat because we didn't."