Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn has called on his players not to shy away from the challenge that faces them in the coming months as they aim to close in on a return to the SPL.
Rovers left it relatively late to seal a 2-1 win over Cowdenbeath in midweek on what turned out to be another nervy night at Stark’s Park, but the rewards were huge as they moved four points clear of Fife rivals Dunfermline with just nine games to play.
With the stakes likely to remain high between now and the end of the season, McGlynn hopes his players can concentrate on the task in hand and try to shut out some of the external pressures that are likely to crop up over the coming weeks.
“We all want to do well, all the fans want us to do well, and if there are a few bad passes here and there then the fans can get a bit nervous and that can transfer on to the park,” McGlynn noted.
“It’s just frustration and it gets that way on the touchline sometimes, but that’s just natural.
“We’ve just got to be mentally strong and deal with that.
“The players have got to be strong, they’ve got to be brave and they can’t hide because if they do we effectively go down to 10 men or even nine men and then you’re really really struggling if you go down to that.”
McGlynn was no doubt pleased that John Baird’s 85th minute winner on Tuesday night ended up increasing his side’s advantage at the top of the table, thanks also to Dunfermline’s inability to see off Stirling on the same evening.
While Rovers fans will be praying Stirling can do something similar when they visit East End Park on Saturday, the Rovers gaffer’s sole focus continues to be on his side’s trip to Morton this weekend.
“If we don’t do the business, to me it doesn’t matter what happens elsewhere,” he said.