Falkirk 4 Raith Rovers 2

Last updated : 11 September 2004 By Footymad Previewer

Falkirk head coach player John Hughes celebrated his 40th birthday with a fighting win against Raith Rovers in difficult windy conditions.

The vistors took the lead in the 12th minute when Wes Daly weaved his way into the Falkirk box and with some indecisive defending from the Bairns, Hamed Sacko capitalised and scored from close in.

Falkirk's first chance fell to Mark Campbell with a free header in the 28th minute from a Russell Latapy free kick. Just before the break Falkirk were awarded a penalty when Andy Thomson was brought down by Tomas Hajovsky, but Raith 'keeper David Berthelot was on top form and saved.

After the restart Falkirk stepped up a gear and for the next 20 minutes attacked the Raith goal. The equaliser came from young striker Darryl Duffy, who converted a Craig McPherson reverse pass.

Number two came five minutes later, Duffy again, after Latapy beat Raith's offside trap and Duffy converted the pass. Thomson got the third in the 69th minute when Latapy again did all the hard work and got in a shot. The rebound fell to Thomson, who finished it off from close in.

The fourth came in the 81st minute when substitute Neil Scally refused to give up and managed to cross the ball in for Thomson to head home.

Raith did, however, reduce the deficit in the dying minutes when an unmarked Lloyd Young headed home a Paul Miller corner from close range.