Euan Murray is enjoying his return to Stark’s Park so far, but he found things “tough” initially given the timing of his move.
Most recently at Hartlepool, by the time Murray was back at Raith Rovers for a second spell, he was around three weeks out of sync with his new team-mates.
The defender spent two seasons at Raith between 2017 and 2019 and his new manager says he has “unfinished business”.
Since then he has been at Fife rivals Dunfermline, Kilmarnock – where he won the Scottish Championship – and in English League Two with Hartlepool, where he left last month.
“I came in needing a bit of fitness work,” he told Courier Sport. “I feel really good now, I just need to get some minutes on the pitch.
“The first week, I was getting the cobwebs off. Last week, I certainly felt like I was finding my legs again.”
Second Raith Rovers debut awaits returning Euan Murray
He is now pushing for his second debut on Saturday away to Partick Thistle as Rovers start their Championship campaign.
Though he is respectful of how well the side – which includes an unchanged back four – has done across their four Viaplay Cup matches.
“I’m working as hard as I can every single day – and I certainly feel like I’m getting sharper, I’m moving a bit better. I’m finding my touch again and stuff like that.
“If I can get on the pitch on Saturday, it would be brilliant, but I’m also very respectful that we’ve got good players that have been doing really well so far.
“I’m snapping at their heels in the background but also giving them my full support when they’re on the pitch.”
Raith Rovers ‘a different club’ to one Euan Murray left
Things have changed a lot off the field since Murray was last at Stark’s Park.
“From an infrastructure point of view, it’s like a different club to the one I left,” he continued.
“I think we need to embrace that change.
⬅️ Before
➡️ After
The Home & Away Dressing Rooms are nearing completion in time for the visit of Dunfermline next Saturday.
🔜 Elite playing environment. pic.twitter.com/nDhNxbaNNS
— Raith Rovers Football Club (@RaithRovers) July 5, 2023
“Everything is positive in that sense, and for the better.
“The folk behind the scenes seem to be driving standards to make the place better – and that’s what we want.”
Missing pre-season at Hartlepool
Hartlepool were relegated from the EFL last season and burned through a couple of managers in the process.
Murray followed Paul Hartley – now back at Cove Rangers – down after his appointment as manager but played under two others before the league campaign was done and dusted.
The centre-back missed the whole of pre-season last year with a hamstring injury, made himself available too early and concedes he lacked “the explosiveness I usually do”.
“Any professional footballer would tell you that if you do miss a big chunk of that and go straight into games, it kills you,” he added.
Raith Rovers’ Euan Murray becoming ‘best version of myself’
After Hartley was replaced by Keith Curle, Murray had a spell out the side that was “the best thing that ever happen” to him.
He quietly worked away, bulking up and working “on his legs in particular” to deal with the increased physicality in England’s League Two.
“When I came back in the side under John Askey, I felt like I was the best version of myself I’d been for the last two or three years,” he said.
