Raith Rovers 2 -0 Ayr United: Match Review

Ayr came up short in their visit to Stark’s Park on Saturday as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Raith Rovers.

The Honest Men were up against it almost immediately after Leon King was sent off just five minutes into the game.

Anton Dowds then scored a quick-fire brace shortly after to put the game out of sight for the hosts.

The experts from Andy’s Bet Club will be reviewing all of our games in the 2026/27 season, and you can find more of the free football tips they offer on their website.

Attack

Leon King’s sending off played a major role in both the attacking and defensive numbers, as Ayr had to play 85 minutes plus stoppage time with ten men.

Ayr managed just three shots on Saturday, with none hitting the target, and amassed an xG of just 0.12.

Dylan Watret had the best chance for Ayr in terms of xG with an effort worth just 0.09 xG.

The breakdown of attacks by flank showed nine attacks down the left worth 0.09 expected goals combined, five through the centre that produced no expected goals at all, and three down the right worth 0.03.

Defence

Raith had 16 shots to Ayr’s three, with five of them coming on target.

Ayr’s PPDA (passes allowed per defensive action) was 37.0 for the match, against Raith Rovers' 8.2. This again is down to Ayr getting men behind the ball after receiving an early red card.

The away side won 47 of 83 duels overall, including 16 of 28 defensive duels and 15 of 24 aerial duels.

Possession

Gary Naysmith’s side had just 27% possession on Saturday, completing 176 of 235 passes (75%).

The average length of an Ayr possession was ten seconds, against 26 seconds for Raith.

Only 29 of Ayr’s 87 possessions reached the opponents' half, with only seven reaching the penalty area.

Set pieces

Ayr won two corners against Raith, with one resulting in a shot (Luke McBeth’s effort worth 0.03 xG).

The Honest Men had six free-kicks, with none resulting in a shot.

Players

Owen Stirton played 89 minutes and won eight of 11 aerial duels, which was the highest return of anyone on the pitch in the air, though he did not attempt a shot.

Luke McBeth played the full 93 minutes, completing 30 of 53 actions, registering the team's one key pass and having one shot from a corner.

Unsurprisingly, Anton Dowds was the standout player for Raith.

He scored twice within 15 minutes, had 0.84 of Raith’s 1.33 xG and had three shots, with two finding the target.

Conclusion

Leon King’s red card completely changed the game and made it an uphill challenge for Gary Naysmith’s side, especially considering Raith were unbeaten in their two previous league games.

Raith scored twice in the opening 15 minutes to put the game to rest.

All eyes will now turn to the home clash with Greenock Morton on Saturday.

Visit  Andy's Bet Club for more match analysis on all upcoming football fixtures.