Oakley's hat-trick at Arbroath puts Raith a point behind Partick before Friday's Fife derby
Sunday 1 November 2026 · By Holly Ritchie
Raith Rovers could hardly have made a better start at Gayfield on Saturday. George Oakley scored after one minute and Scott Tiffoney added a second on three, and by half-time it was 3–0. By full time it was 4–0, and Oakley had a hat-trick, which means Raith are now just a point behind Partick Thistle.
Oakley scored on 1 minute from a pass by McMullan, and Tiffoney followed on 3 minutes from an assist by Adamson. Oakley's second, on 34 minutes, was a header from a Stevenson delivery, according to PA, and his third on 78 minutes was set up by Tiffoney. A crowd of 1,501 saw Arbroath have no yellow card and Raith one, the BBC says.
It was a welcome response to the previous weekend, when Inverness Caledonian Thistle won 2–0 at Stark's Park. It was Raith's fourth league win on the road this season, and Raith's away record now reads four wins, two draws and one defeat, with eleven goals scored and four conceded. Oakley's treble also helps a team that already has the division's best attack, at 20 goals.
The BBC Championship table taken at 13:01 GMT today has Raith second on 24 points from 13 games, with seven wins, three draws and three defeats. They are level on points with Dunfermline, who are third, but Raith are ahead on goal difference (plus 11 against plus 8). They are one point behind Partick, who lost at home on Saturday, and one ahead of Stenhousemuir. The form guide reads L W W D L W.
All of that leads to a big evening. Raith host Dunfermline in the Fife derby on Friday 6 November (19:30 GMT) at Stark's Park. The visitors are unbeaten in ten league games, and they won the earlier meeting 1–0 at East End Park on 28 August, according to our dated records. At home Raith have won three, drawn one and lost two, and both home defeats were 0–2, against Livingston on 25 September and Inverness on 24 October.
The team news is hard to judge. We haven't found any post-match words from manager Dougie Imrie, and the most recent injury information we have is from his comments on 27 October, reported by the Courier. Calum Adamson was then "100 per cent" available, and Saturday's assist suggests that was right. Zak Delaney was waiting to see a knee specialist, with Imrie saying: "You get one or two back and another one pops out." Easton was out "until next year" and Dowds was hoping to make the bench. We haven't seen an update since then, so check with the club before the derby.
Before the derby, Raith are at Hamilton on Tuesday 3 November in the KDM Evolution Trophy (19:45 GMT). After it they go to Ayr on Saturday 14 November. In the Scottish Cup third round, on the weekend of 28 November, they travel to Troon.
A win on Friday would take Raith clear of Dunfermline on 27 points, and Oakley's goals have kept them in the title race.
Stark's Park has been Raith Rovers' home since 1891, pressed into the south of Kirkcaldy between Pratt Street and the Edinburgh to Aberdeen railway. It is a proper old ground rather than a bowl: two large modern ends, a slim stand along the tracks, and a century-old main stand that stops halfway down one side. Capacity is 8,867, all seated. The pitch runs north to south.
You will normally be in the Metrotile North Stand, directly behind the north goal. It mirrors the home end: a single steep tier, a roof, windshields, and floodlights rising out of the roof. The rake is sharp, so the penalty area in front of you is easy to read. A small away following is sometimes put in the south side of the Turnbull Hutton Main Stand instead, so check the ticket. Segregation is simple, and the stewards are generally welcoming.
The plan above has north at the top, the end you will usually occupy. Both goals sit on the goal lines, in front of the stands behind them: the north goal in front of the Metrotile North Stand, the south goal in front of the Penman Family South Stand. They are not on the touchlines. The SM Lighting Railway Stand runs the west side, with the tracks behind it. Opposite, the Turnbull Hutton Main Stand fills only the south-east corner: an L-shaped Archibald Leitch stand, raised on pillars, with the RRFC gable, covering less than half the pitch. The rest of the east side is open ground facing Pratt Street.
Home support gathers in the South Stand, behind the south goal, and in the main stand, which also holds the offices, dressing rooms and hospitality. The Railway Stand is covered but often unused. Do not assume you can drift into it. From the away end you look down on your own goal and straight at the home end opposite.
Kirkcaldy station is about half a mile north, ten to fifteen minutes on foot. From platform 2, walk to the railway bridge, turn right past Abbotshall Church, and follow Abbotshall Road with the line on your left until it becomes Pratt Street. The X58 from Edinburgh drops you a short walk away. By car, leave the A92 at Kirkcaldy West, take the A910 and follow the football signs. Street parking is the norm, station and Beveridge Park car parks are limited, and Pratt Street can close about half an hour before kick-off. Book away coaches into Beveridge Park or the esplanade in advance.
Away turnstiles are at the north entrance on Pratt Street, with a ticket office behind the North Stand. The south entrance, up the ramp, serves the main stand and the home end. Buy online beforehand; prices move with the fixture, and Dunfermline games cost more. Each stand has toilets and a tea bar. Pies, tea and coffee go quickly around kick-off, and the club shop is by the main stand ticket office. There is no alcohol inside. Pubs are a fifteen-minute walk into town: the Duchess of Kirkcaldy near the seafront, the Exchequer on the High Street, and the Robert Nairn, a Wetherspoons on Kirk Wynd.
The pitch has been artificial since 2018, about 113 yards by 70, so the ball runs true in bad weather. A replacement synthetic surface was planned for 2026/27. Usual ground rules apply: no pyrotechnics, no abusive singing, and no filming of the match itself. Photographs of the stands before kick-off are fine, and the main stand is the one worth a picture. Sit high in the North Stand and watch the game come straight at you.