Christophe Berra insists Raith Rovers have not given up hope of an unlikely title charge, declaring: “It’s about how you end the season.”
The Fife outfit slipped to a 3-0 defeat against Kilmarnock on Saturday, extending their winless streak in the Championship to nine matches.
Rovers have claimed just five points from a possible 27, leaving John McGlynn’s men battling to retain their place in the top four.
They are eight adrift of league leaders Arbroath, who also possess a game in hand, but Berra remains hopeful of a late surge.
At the very least, the former Scotland and Hearts defender is desperate to ensure Rovers approach a playoff push with wind in their sails.
“We want to finish the season on the front-foot in a last-ditch attempt to go up automatically,” said Berra.
“If not, then we need to make sure we have a lot of momentum in the playoffs.
“We’ll approach the final quarter [of matches] absolutely desperate to turn our form around. There is no reason why we can’t do that.
“Aside from Arbroath — who haven’t run away at the top — every team in this league have gone through sticky periods. Inverness are going through one now, Kilmarnock had a tough patch.
“Yes, we are going through a bad period. We’ve not picked up enough points. But we are still right in there.
“It’s about how you end the season.”
Berra added: “Everyone is hurting. We’ll regroup, reflect and I’m sure there will be a few harsh words — like there were on Saturday — and then we start again; Partick Thistle next week and another big opportunity.”
Calf concern
Berra’s own return was a notable silver lining for Rovers.
The 37-year-old had been absent since limping out of Raith’s 2-2 draw at Morton on January 28 and, with injuries to Kyle Benedictus and Tom Lang, his ongoing availability is essential.
🤷♂️
18 goals in 19 Killie games for Kyle Lafferty pic.twitter.com/JljgwkyBun
— Kilmarnock FC (@KilmarnockFC) February 20, 2022
“I hadn’t trained at all last week, then I did a bit on Thursday and Friday,” revealed Berra.
“I was bitterly disappointed with the result but, having been out for three weeks and only trained for a couple of days, I’m glad I got through the game with no issues with my calf.
“Calf injuries can be unpredictable. You might be feeling fine and then, after 35 minutes it tenses up and that’s you [injured again].
“But thankfully, it was all fine and I can put that to bed.”
