Keatings at the double as Hibernian beat Raith
James Keatings scored twice to provide Hibernian with a hangover tonic following their William Hill Scottish Cup exit as Raith Rovers slumped to a last-gasp 3-2 defeat at Easter Road.
Hibs missed the chance to face Celtic in May's final thanks to Aberdeen's last-four win, and there was further disappointment after boss Neil Lennon was on Tuesday hit with a two-match touchline ban.
The Northern Irishman watched from the stands as Keatings and Grant Holt gave Hibs the lead twice, only for Declan McManus and Ryan Hardie to respond on both occasions.
On the stroke of full-time Keatings rattled a free-kick into the bottom corner to give the Ladbrokes Championship winners all three points.
Keatings broke the deadlock with a tap-in on Chris Humphrey's excellent cross four minutes before half-time.
McManus thought he had equalised shortly after the restart but an earlier foul on Alex Harris saw the strike ruled out.
The on-loan Fleetwood forward shrugged off the setback, however, levelling in the 66th minute when he connected with a Bobby Barr pass.
In the 81st minute substitute Holt restored Hibs' advantage with a dinked finish over Pavol Penksa from Keatings' long ball forward.
However, moments later, Hardie rounded Ross Laidlaw before slotting home a second equaliser of the night.
A Raith handball on the edge of the box gave Hibs one more opportunity, though, and Keatings did not waste the set-piece, netting with the last kick of the game.
Source : PA
Source: PA