John McGlynn hopes Raith Rovers’ injury woes will result in a ‘siege mentality’ for their testing trip to Kilmarnock.
The Fifers’ defensive options have been decimated in recent weeks, with Tom Lang and Kyle Benedictus definitely sidelined for Saturday.
Christophe Berra is ’50/50 — and no better than that’ as he recovers from a calf strain.
As such, Rovers are likely to field a makeshift back-line as they seek to replicate their 3-1 triumph in Ayrshire on October 2.
“Our injury situation doesn’t help,” McGlynn told Courier Sport. “We did very well down at Kilmarnock last time and it was built on a very strong defence.
“We dealt with everything we expected from Kilmarnock — and it would be nice to have those players available.
“But they aren’t and we need to adapt, and still find a way to deal with big, talented strikers like [Kyle] Lafferty and [Oli] Shaw.
“Maybe there can be a siege mentality in the face of adversity. Everyone pulling together; everyone doing more; everyone helping out.
“Can you run a little bit harder? Help out your teammate even more?
“That spirit in the camp is something we’ve always strived for and we’ll always fight for each other.”
Hoops deja vu?
That togetherness was certainly evident against Celtic, in spite of a 4-0 defeat.
Rovers held firm for much of the first half and, but for referee Steven McLean missing a hand-ball by Cameron Carter-Vickers, could have made it 1-1 prior to half-time.
The Hoops ultimately brought on Daizen Maeda and the irrepressible Jota. Their class told.
But the visitors were not disgraced and McGlynn is hopeful history can repeat itself, having embarked upon a 15-MATCH unbeaten run immediately after their last defeat against Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup.
“We need to get a victory and get the season moving in the right direction again,” said McGlynn, with Rovers currently on a run of eight Championship games without a win.
“There is plenty we can take from the way that we played at Celtic Park — if not the result, which was a little harsh.
“It wasn’t so long after our last defeat at Celtic Park that we went on a run. That needs to be the aim again.”
Lang road back
Meanwhile, Lang will visit a specialist on February 24 as he comes to terms with a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury which will see him sidelined until around October.
Following that assessment, Lang is likely to be given a date for his operation.
“Tom is passionate,” added McGlynn. “He wears his heart on his sleeve and I’m sure he took so much comfort and support from the ovation he got from the Rovers fans at Celtic Park.
“He’ll just be desperate to get back — but we know there’s a lot in front of him before that stage.”
