Scott Brown is convinced Raith Rovers team-mate Sam Stanton has the quality to be playing Premiership football every week.
And he reckons both Stanton and Ian Murray agreeing new contracts with Raith is proof the club is ‘heading in the right direction’.
Brown himself signed a new deal in the summer to commit his future to the Kirkcaldy outfit until 2025.
And, after an incredible opening to this season, Stanton last week penned fresh terms until 2026 – then manager Murray tied himself to Rovers until 2027 on Christmas Eve.
It is a reflection of a team full of belief and hope after going five points clear at the summit of the SPFL Championship with their recent 1-0 win over Dundee United.
And, ahead of the visit of Arbroath, Brown is hopeful they can keep riding the crest of a wave for as long as possible.
He said: “I’m sure both Sam and the manager would have had interest from other clubs in the summer.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the manager and how good he’s been with me since I’ve come in.
“And Sam has shown his quality a lot this season. So for him to sign again with Raith is a massive coup for the club.
‘That’s what we’re building right now’
“He could definitely be playing week-in, week-out in the Premiership, I have no doubt about that.
“So, it’s good to be be at a club where people feel like they want to be there and that the club’s going in the right direction.
“There’s nothing better than being at a club where everyone wants to come in every day and be a part of it.
“That’s what we’re building right now and hopefully we can continue that.”
The former St Johnstone midfielder added: “We’ve not even reached the halfway point in the season. We need to make sure we keep meeting our targets and going the way we’re going.
“If we can do that then hopefully we’ll be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.
“The target at the start of the season was to make the play-offs, but we want to go as high as we can.”
Raith are currently unbeaten in 14 matches and have suffered just one league defeat in the whole of the calendar year.
It is a remarkable record that has sparked dreams amongst the support of a special season at Stark’s Park.
‘We’re now there to be shot at’
However, Brown knows that being top of the table brings with it a different type of burden as the hunter becomes the hunted.
Rovers needed another late goal to snatch a sensational 4-4 draw against Ayr United last Friday and he is hoping for an improved performance to bring the curtain down on 2023.
The Stark’s Park skipper added: “We’ve been ticking along quite nicely and we obviously went to Dundee United a couple of weeks ago and won, and that put us top of the league.
“We’re now there to be shot at and that’s the pressure that comes when you’re sitting at the top of the table.
“We’ve got to realise that’s going to be there for the rest of the season if we’re going to be where we want to be.”
