The blues welcomed third-placed Highland to Beveridge Park, with both sides in confident mood. Highland arrived on the back of an emphatic 60-point victory over Falkirk the previous week, while Kirkcaldy themselves were buoyed by two successive wins and growing belief within the squad.

Underfoot conditions were heavy, and as if on cue the heavens opened just as the match kicked off. Despite playing into the wind, the Blues made an energetic start and dominated the opening ten minutes. Ross Lithgow and Stevie Milne led from the front, with the rest of the pack making hard yards and setting an aggressive tone. Rory Brown, playing at 12 was proving a handful for the visiting centres.

Somewhat against the run of play, Highland struck first with a breakaway score on 12 minutes. Kirkcaldy responded immediately, camping themselves in the Highland half and applying sustained pressure. A penalty attempt on 25 minutes drifted just wide of the uprights, denying the Blues a deserved reply.

Highland continued to look dangerous on the counter-attack, but excellent defensive work from Webb, Pratt and Kennedy snuffed out several promising opportunities. The game then became stop-start, with handling errors creeping in as the rain intensified. In the set piece, Hamilton, Duckett and Lithgow applied strong pressure in the scrum, while McLeod was dominant at the lineout, with Hamilton adjusting his throws well to cope with the conditions.

The Blues suffered disruption on 25 minutes when the combative Bonner was forced off injured, replaced by M. Brooks. Moments later, Brooks too had to leave the field, with Payne coming on and Oliver moving into the second row. Despite the reshuffle, Kirkcaldy’s momentum was not affected as they continued to boss territory and possession, with Lithgow again prominent in attack. 17 year old Oliver was having a strong game for the second week in a row.

After two knock-ons over the try line, it appeared Reddick had finally forced his way over, but the referee ruled the ball held up. (Photo)

On 31 minutes Kirkcaldy kicked a penalty to narrow the gap to 5–3, before a quick break three minutes later resulted in a converted try, giving the visitors a 12–3 lead.

Kirkcaldy’s confidence remained intact, however, and sustained pressure led to a succession of penalties, one of which resulted in a Highland yellow card. The blues failed to capitalise on this before half time.

Half-time: Kirkcaldy 3–12 Highland

The second half began evenly, but Kirkcaldy were hit again by injuries, losing Oliver and Pratt, with A. Brooks and Small entering the fray. This left the Blues with no replacements remaining.

On 50 minutes Highland extended their lead with another score to make it 19–3. Smart probing kicks from Smith helped keep Highland pinned back, and Kirkcaldy refused to let heads drop.

The response came five minutes later. Strong forward carries, led by Lithgow, Hamilton, Mcleod and Brown, drove the Blues upfield, and on 55 minutes Lithgow picked from the back of a ruck, skittled two defenders and powered over the line. Littlejohn added the conversion to make it 10–19.

Kirkcaldy continued to apply pressure. McLeod carried tirelessly, providing quick ball for the backs, with Littlejohn, Brown and Kennedy making valuable inroads. Another penalty from Littlejohn reduced the deficit further to 13–19. By now the crowd sensed the blues could get the victory.

Highland then launched an attack of their own, and a break from their outside centre led to a kick ahead. As Kirkcaldy scrambled back, Brown appeared to win the chase back, but the referee awarded a penalty try for an infringement, extending Highland’s lead to 26–13. Rather than deflating the Blues, this decision only seemed to fuel their resolve.

Kennedy looked increasingly dangerous ball in hand, and after slick handling across the team, he powered through a gap on 74 minutes to score. Littlejohn’s conversion narrowed the score to 20–26 and set up a thrilling finale.

Both teams pushed hard in the closing stages. As Kirkcaldy pounded the Highland line, the home support held its breath.

Eventually, in the 85th minute, Rory Brown dived through a pile of bodies to score a dramatic winning try. Littlejohn kept his nerve to convert, giving the Blues a remarkable 27–26 lead.

There was still time for a restart. A knock-on from Kirkcaldy gave Highland a scrum, but the Blues repelled four or five phases of pressure before another knock-on finally brought proceedings to an end.

This was a performance full of grit, resilience and character from Kirkcaldy. The Blues showed tremendous determination throughout and thoroughly deserved the victory. All 19 players put in a huge shift and deserve great credit for a memorable comeback win.