Raith ran up their fourth straight away win, but the Kirkaldy men will have to play much better than this if they want to make a quick return to Division One. The struggling Sons pushed them all the way in a disappointing match of few chances and were unlucky not to keep their unbeaten home record stretching back to February intact.
The visitors got off to the ideal start when Laurence Ellis swept Brian Fairbairn's low corner high past Stephen Grindlay. It was more poor marking at a corner which gave Raith their second goal midway through the second half, the unmarked Paul McManus heading against the underside of the bar and Chris McLeod heading the loose ball over the line with the home side appealing for a foul on 'keeper Grindlay.
Dumbarton failed to turn their superior possession into chances, but at 0-1 they were unlucky when, in the opening period, Iain Russell looked to have been pushed over inside the penalty box and then, after the break, a John Dillon drive from 12 yards striking the bar.
Nine minutes from time substitute John Gemmell got on to a Paul McQuilken knock-down to fire past Alistair Brown, but Dumbarton couldn't force home an equaliser which they probably deserved.