St Johnstone 2-0 Raith Rovers – Match Report
St Johnstone beat Raith Rovers on trophy presentation day. The first real chance of the game occurred just under 5 minutes in. Raith Rovers only managed to clear a corner into the path of Gullan, who blazed over from just outside the box. Minutes later, Fotheringham found space for a shot outside the box, but the Saints number 21 dragged his effort past the post. The Perth side won a free kick in a promising position, which was headed out for a corner by Rowe. From the resulting corner, Fotheringham volleyed over the top. Raith Rovers nearly took the lead. Cameron found himself free in the box but headed over. Fotheringham won a free kick just outside the box, which was struck well by Gullan, whose effort was denied by a brilliant piece of goalkeeping from former St Johnstone goalkeeper Rae. Fotheringham was then brought down in the area by Matthews, and without hesitation, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. Gullan then stepped up, and tucked the penalty away, to give the champions a deserved lead based on the balance of play. Stanton played a ball into the box after managing to find a yard of space, which found Fotheringham, who struck his volley past the post. McPake’s deflected right footed effort hit the side netting. Fowler won a free kick on the edge of the area, which was struck by Gullan, who found the corner to give Simo Valakari’s side a deserved 2-0 lead just before the break. HT: St Johnstone 2-0 Raith Rovers Into the second period, Raith Rovers thought they pulled one back, but the linesman had his flag raised. With just over 20 minutes remaining, Easton’s curling effort went just past Steward’s post. Fowler was played through in additional time but the striker’s low effort was saved by the foot of Rae. After 2 minutes of additional time, the referee blew his full-time whistle. A solid showing from the champions, in their final home match of the campaign. St Johnstone: Steward (7), Forrester (8), Diabate (8), Boyes (8), Foulds (8), Fotheringham (8) , Holt (7), Stanton (8), Gullan (9), McPake (7), Fowler (7) Substitutes: Paton (6), Steven (7), McAlear (6) Raith Rovers: Rae (6), Rowe (6), Fordyce (6), O’Connor (6), Stevenson (6), Easton (7), Montagu (6), Matthews (6), Vaughan (6), Nsio (6), Cameron (5) Substitutes: Hamilton (5), Chin (5), Winter (5), Mullin (5)
A tribute to the best Hibs player I’ve ever seen
When he arrived in place of Alex Harris, many thought Hibernian had drawn the short straw with Martin Boyle. Whilst that’s certainly been proven wrong, no one would have imagined just how well things would go. Whilst you could argue that he still has a lot to offer; it’s definitely the right time for him to leave come the end of the season. But that doesn’t mean that he won’t be a big loss for Hibs come next season. Even his ex-teammate Ryan Portoeus agrees. He said: “Boyley will be a massive miss – massive. He’s been so good for the club for 11 years, and his numbers are brilliant. “He’s developed into someone relentless in big games, scoring goals, lifting trophies, getting the club promoted, then helping them stabilise, finish third and set points records – he’s pretty much done it all. “His character in the dressing room is huge as well, and that’s a big hole to fill.” A slow start to life at Hibs for Boyle eventually transformed into him becoming a legend who will be remembered for generations. Prior to Neil Lennon’s arrival and his move to the wing, he was in-and-out of the team. Despite being the last remaining player from the Scottish Cup winning squad, he didn’t play in the final. But his memories of the celebrations are so relatable for the fans and is therefore another reason why he’s so loved in Leith “It was a memorable time, and I think we milked it a wee bit. There were a few parties that went on for days! Fans were taking days off work. It was carnage. I knew it was huge for the club; it was always spoken about. But to actually do it and see the thousands that turned up on the Sunday was crazy.” However, his on-pitch contributions increased year-on-year and after Hibs return to the topflight. It seemed like every season was his best one yet. In the 2020/21 season he netted 15 goals and managed 12 assists, in what should be reflected on as a great season for Hibs as they finished 3rd for the first time in 16 years. But the cloud of what could’ve been still hangs over, with the chance to be a two-time Scottish Cup winner squandered. The following season, he departed for Saudi Arabia before it was cool to do so. But before that, he dragged an extremely poor Hibs side kicking and screaming up the table and wrote himself into Hibs folklore with a first-half hattrick against Rangers at Hampden into the League Cup semi-final. For many Hibs fans, it’s the best match since their previous Hampden meeting with Rangers. It’s no wonder that Hibs went onto have a terrible season after his departure. So much so that six months later, they replaced Martin Boyle with… Martin Boyle. His second debut was the perfect display of why he’s such a big game player with his 95th minute Edinburgh derby equaliser. You could tell something big was going to happen just by the roar of the crowd when he was called back from his warm-up. These are only a few examples of how Boyle has turned up when it mattered most. Four goals in the Edinburgh derby, eight against Rangers, and he is Hibs top European goalscorer. Hibs seriously struggle to replace a player who has performed so consistently in the big games. Especially with their poor record in big fixtures. Much like the whole team, 2024/25 was his best season. Enough has been made of Hibs’ awful start. Having been bottom of the table after 14 matches, it was a miracle that David Gray kept his job. But the turnaround was nothing short of remarkable and a great display of character. 20 goals and 11 assists followed as Hibs went 17 unbeaten to claim third spot despite a worrying look of relegation. This season was also the first time that the much-liked joker wore the armband for his club. This was something that even shocked David Gray but is a testament to how far he had come at Hibs, not even just as a player, but as a man. Gray said: “When I think back to when I was captain, when I was playing and the babysitting I had to do with Martin Boyle, I didn’t think for one minute that he would be club captain at any point. So, I think that’s a massive credit to him, but also just because of how he’s matured. “He’s definitely frustrated me at times. But he’s definitely matured and he’s good for the group, he’s good for the young players that come through. “He’s been a real breath of fresh air in the dressing room. Even when you lose some games, he’s still the same type of person and I think that’s infectious within the group.” When David Gray announced in March that Boyle will leave at the expiration of his contract, it was a strange feeling. Like that of when Paul Hanlon or Lewis Stevenson left. It wasn’t surprising, it’s probably the right time. But it feels like Hibs are going to lose a big part of themselves when the time comes for him to pull on the green and white for the last time. Generations ago, there was The Famous Five and Pat Stanton. The generation before mine experienced Franck Sauzee. I’ll make sure to pass down my stories of Martin Boyle when the time is right, because even if I did get to watch players who have moved onto bigger and better, such as John McGinn. For all he’s achieved in green and white, Martin Boyle is currently going down as the best player I’ve ever seen at Hibs, and he’ll always be a legend.
