Most Raith supporters will know Daniel O’Reilly as the man who was sent off but ended the day with a winner’s medal back in March.
That was last season’s SPFL Trust Trophy final, which Raith have gone some way to avenging with their most recent victory – a 4-1 in the same competition at the home of Hamilton, the holders.
Rovers becomes the 28-year-old’s 10th club as a professional, having started at Fulham in 2014 after graduating through their youth set-up.
O’Reilly dropped into non-league down south before returning to his native Ireland for a few years. He then signed for Hamilton at the start of last year.
The centre-back was a popular figure among the Accies support, despite their relegation from the Championship last season.
My time at @acciesfc is over. Huge thanks to my team mates, management & staff for giving me the opportunity. The past two seasons brought obvious lows and many highs.I will always value my time here. Special thanks to the fans for their support to me personally. It meant a lot🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/FinZ0HHTia
— Daniel O'Reilly (@DanielOReilly4) June 10, 2023
The Irishman has been without a club since and joins Raith as a free agent, initially until January.
Will Daniel O’Reilly be thrown in at the deep end?
Rovers will by then have a better idea of where they stand, with all four of their centre-backs unavailable one way or another in recent times.
Keith Watson has been missing since September with a knee injury while Dylan Corr last week made his first appearance since July as he recovers from a toe injury.
Adam Masson was withdrawn at half-time in Friday night’s win at Hamilton and Euan Murray will serve the second of a two-match ban for this Friday’s Fife derby in the Scottish Cup.
O’Reilly brings with him a decent amount of Scottish Championship experience. He racked up 63 appearances for Hamilton, 33 of those in Scotland’s second tier.
Last season, he was in the top five in the Championship for the number of blocks and interceptions and the number of defensive duels (defined by Wyscout as when a player “attempts to dispossess an opposition player to stop an attack progressing”).
He could be thrown in at the deep end at Dunfermline, most likely alongside makeshift centre-back Scott Brown.
Left-foot bonus
The Raith skipper has performed well in central defence but it is no long-term solution for a team with aspirations of promotion.
It is also starving manager Ian Murray of the chance to see a partnership of Brown and Dundee loanee Shaun Byrne in the middle of the park.
🤌 Shaun Byrne.
That is all. pic.twitter.com/45ZilKilCq
— Raith Rovers Football Club (@RaithRovers) November 19, 2023
Liam Dick, who was moved to centre-back at half-time last week, is not a long-term solution for the position either.
That O’Reilly is, like Dick, left-footed is a bonus of his arrival, allowing better passing angles when playing out from the back, something that is part of the defender’s game.
O’Reilly told Raith TV: “I think I can influence the game on the ball as well, which is the way Raith have tried to play over the last few years which is really attractive.
“I know it sounds cliché, but I like to defend and be aggressive in both boxes. I try to be a leader.
“I’m at an age now, 28, where I think I can help younger players and the players around me and try to bring the best out of them.
“I’m here until January then in football you never know what can happen. I’m grateful for the opportunity, hopefully I can show the fans and everyone what I’m about.”
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