Livingston 1 - 1 Raith Rovers

TIME was of the essence in this match. Raith Rovers had to play much of a frenetic game with ten men and, in the end, the clock was the enemy of Livingston as they sought a winner.

Raith had grounds to feel aggrieved as they were forced to play the final 73 minutes a man down. Dougie Hill undoubtedly raised his studs in challenging Kyle Jacobs on the halfway line but, having won the ball, he looked on in disbelief as referee Willie Collum trotted towards him with red card in hand.

Rovers shrugged off the disadvantage to take the lead on the hour mark through striker Brian Graham, but teenage substitute Marc McNulty used his first touch to sweep in a quick-fire equaliser.

The visitors would have felt content with the way the coped with just ten men until the sanctuary of the interval. Goalscorer John Baird was forced to drop deep to seek the ball and add to the defensive numbers but Livingston failed to threaten meaningfully.

In fact, it was Rovers who created the better chances. Joe Hamill had a shot deflected wide and later curled another over, while Baird screwed one shot high and wide. David McGurn was finally called to make his first save a minute after the break when he beat away a Liam Fox drive and the Raith keeper then tipped over Iain Russell’s chip before chesting away Watson’s header.

Those interventions proved crucial as Rovers took the lead on the hour. Baird’s cross was knocked down by Allan Walker and Graham volleyed in from six yards out.

The lead lasted just seven minutes as McNulty drove in Russell’s deflected shot within seconds of his introduction from the bench.

McGurn blocked Craig Barr’s header and was relieved to see Bobby Barr’s drive slip just wide after but neither side could find a winner.