Ian Murray will have strikers Jamie Gullan and Jack Hamilton available for this weekend’s match against Queen’s Park.
The duo have been training this week ahead of the trip to Hampden as Rovers try to keep pace with Dundee United at the top of the Scottish Championship.
Murray made just one change to his line-up for the last three games, which all took place in the space of eight days.
Not only will Gullan and Hamilton boost his selection options, he has been slightly surprised by the condition of the players after spells on the sidelines.
Hamilton hasn’t featured since the end of September while Gullan last played at the start of last month.
Raith Rovers training boost
“Out of all the injuries, they are the two who have trained all week,” Murray told Raith TV. “They look ready.
“They’ve come back in really good condition, probably a wee bit sharper than I anticipated.
“The rest still won’t be in our squad, but to get two back is quite a big thing for us.
“Not just for the game, but to get our training going a little bit more as well.
“The last few weeks have been difficult with numbers. Sometimes there is not a lot you can do.
“And we know how good Jack and Jamie are. It gives us options.”
Saturday’s visit to the national stadium will be Murray’s first as a manager.
He led Airdrie into away games against Queen’s Park before he moved to Raith but it was when the Spiders were ground-sharing at Firhill.
A few of the players have never been to Hampden, never mind played there, and the Raith boss is conscious of managing that aspect on Saturday.
He is also wary of the threat Robin Veldman’s side carry, despite no wins in their last eight.
Ian Murray on Queen’s Park threat
“They have good quality players in wide areas, they’ve got a striker who scores goals if you give him opportunities,” said Murray.
“They’re quite a young team, they pass the ball really well. I was really impressed with them when we played them at the start of the season.
“I watched their game back from Saturday down at Somerset [Park] and they showed a different side to them. They never gave up, battling away.
“They haven’t won too many games this season but they haven’t lost too many either.
“So we have to be good. We have to make sure that we use the ball really well and make sure we defend properly.”
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