Celtic and Rangers target's wonder goal rocks Raith Rovers as Callum Davidson enjoys winning start at Queen's Park

A 2-1 win for Queen’s Park left the hosts rueing a second successive defeat as they fail to take the chance to re-assume leadership of the Championship.

Callum Davidson enjoyed a winning return to management with Queen's Park (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

No late goals for Raith Rovers was the perhaps surprising news dispatch from Stark’s Park. No late rescue act. The miracle men of Pratt Street are beginning to look a bit more ordinary as Callum Davidson enjoyed a winning start after stepping back into management.

It hadn’t looked like being a happy return to the dugout after three minutes, when Raith took the lead through Jack Hamilton. “I felt like turning back down the tunnel and back to playing golf,” said Davidson later.

Goals from Cammy Bruce – the 18-year-old’s first ever-senior goal, and what a strike – and debutant Sean Welsh secured the visitors’ second consecutive victory. They also ensured Davidson was reacquainted with a very specific form of elation.

An immaculate minute's silence for former Raith Rovers chairman Bill Clark, who died on Monday, was observed pre-match (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“Nothing beats that three-points-on-a Saturday buzz,” he added, when asked how it felt to be back. It’s been a while since he had this particular thrill. Almost a year in fact – not since a 2-1 win at Tannadice over Dundee United last February while still St Johnstone manager.

This was a fine to way to be reacquainted with a sensation that beats a crisp drive down the centre of a fairway or a deft chip to within a yard of the pin. “I am just trying to stay a bit calmer,” he added, having put the golf clubs back in the bag to sign on for more of this rollercoaster business called football management.

Queen’s Park seem determined not to spoil a historic year by undoing a lot of their recent good work and being relegated. March will see them celebrate 150 years since they lifted the first-ever Scottish Cup and it seems they might be on the turn after their travails at the end of last year. They are now looking very much upwards. Not towards the title like last year, perhaps, but the play-offs look almost obtainable.

The situation at the very top of the Championship, meanwhile, has been significantly altered over the course of around 20 hours. A late goal from Dundee United at Inverness at around 9.27pm on Friday lifted Jim Goodwin’s side above Raith into top place. And it’s there they stay after a poignant afternoon at Stark’s.

News that former chairman Bill Clark had died on Monday was made public on the eve of the match. The popular Clark was afforded the type of minute’s silence that needs only one word to describe it – immaculate.

Such respectful observance said everything about his worth to Raith Rovers as well as saying everything about the man. He led Raith through the struggles of the pandemic and gave everything to the club before stepping down as a director amid the David Goodwillie signing controversy two years ago.

Everything seemed geared up for the home team to ride the wave of emotion towards three points. The feeling grew stronger still when they raced out of the traps to take a 1-0 lead. Anything you can do, seemed to be the message to Dundee United after Tony Watt's late counter the previous evening.

Raith struck at the other end of the game – after three minutes, rather than with three minutes left – and it looked for all the world like this might be a routine victory as opposed to the dramatic, gutsy, heart-palpitations-inducing triumphs they have turned into an art form this season.

Sadly for them, it was not a victory of any sort, nor even a draw. Raith would have gladly taken a point and they did come close to one. Substitute Jamie Gullan cracked a fine free kick off the bar in time added on. Raith have clearly used up their share of late goals for the time being and might welcome a break from league action next weekend, when they face Livingston in the Scottish Cup, before regrouping ahead of the run-in.

“It is a challenge,” conceded Murray. “And I have said to the players. The challenge is how we handle this – back-to-back defeats for the first time is never a nice feeling no matter where you are in the league or how well you have done previously.

“People start to expect,” he added. “But this league is so hard. All our scores this season... win by a goal, lose by a goal. It is not as if we are cantering towards three points each week and we are certainly not getting battered every week.

“But like I said to the players, I am firmly behind them. It is a wee sticky patch, that’s all it is.”

Perhaps. And Raith were certainly worth a draw at least. As well as hit the bar, Queen’s Park ‘keeper Calum Ferrie made several good stops, including tipping over Aidan Connolly’s free-kick in the first half. He was helping keep his side in the game after Hamilton’s early counter, turned in from close-in after good work on the left by Dylan Easton.

Queen’s Park secured a foothold in the game three minutes before half time through Bruce, who’s been a target for both Rangers and Celtic already in his short career. He took a sublime first touch after Thomas Robson’s defence-splitting pass before curling a shot into the far corner with his less-favoured right foot. Not a bad way to get off the mark, especially when your new manager, who happened to play in the same wingback role, is watching a matter of yards away.

The winner, 11 minutes into the second half, was a more straightforward affair. A corner from Dominic Thomas was met in the goalmouth by the head of Sean Welsh, signed the day before on loan from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

The midfielder wasn’t brought in for his goal-threat, his manager admitted later. Davidson was, though, delighted to be reminded that management is not an exact science and happy to take whatever credit was going after such a bruising end to his history-making tenure in Perth.