Ian Murray would love Raith Rovers to head into the promotion play-offs on a winning streak.
But he admits protecting a healthy squad has to be his priority in the final week of a long campaign.
The Stark’s Park side have pushed favourites Dundee United all the way in the title race, but ultimately fell short in the home straight.
With an 11-point advantage in second place, however, it ensures this weekend’s trip to Morton and the regular season’s finale against already-relegated Arbroath are ‘dead rubbers’.
Last Friday’s battling 1-0 victory over Inverness Caley Thistle was an indication of players intent on giving their all right to the bitter end.
But, having experienced the play-offs twice before with Airdrie, Murray knows the importance of getting preparations right for the rigours of the battles to come.
“We had a kind of similar situation the second time round with Airdrie,” he said of the Diamonds’ play-off efforts in 2022.
“We’ve been pushing Dundee United this season and with Airdrie we were chasing Cove Rangers at the time.
“We didn’t have the break we’ll have after the regular season finished. We only had a few days.
“But it’s just about keeping everybody healthy, that’s our biggest aim at the moment.
‘Any issues at all’
“We want to try to make sure everybody is okay and if there are any issues at all then we have to manage that.
“Once we’re into the play-offs, we’ll prepare just as we normally do.
“But at the moment, there will be no chances, that’s for sure. We won’t be taking any risks with guys now.
“At the same time, every game is important to us. We’re competitors, at the end of the day, and we must keep that up.
“We’ve got people coming to the game paying good money to watch the match. So we have to put in 100 per cent effort.”
The careful approach meant just a third league start of the season for former Celtic defender Dylan Corr in last Friday’s win in the Highlands.
The 19-year-old won praise for his resolute display alongside Euan Murray at the heart of the Raith rearguard.
Out of contract this summer, the youngster is just one of the players who will have to wait to sort out his future once the play-offs are done and dusted.
“It was a game we wanted to win and I felt comfortable playing Dylan,” continued Murray. “He’s been patient as well.
“Keith [Watson] had only trained a couple of games max, if I remember correctly, so wasn’t really ready unless needed. So, it was a bit of a mix of reasons.
‘Might decide to move on’
“The first year is always difficult for young players and I always feel you get a little bit more in the second year.
“But we’ve not sat down with Dylan yet to see what he’s thinking.
“He might decide to move on and go somewhere where he plays every single week, and I understand that as well.
“It’s something we’ll look at, but at the moment we’re still concentrating on the games rather than anything else.”
Meanwhile, Murray hopes the squad feel the benefit of some team bonding over a game of darts earlier this week.
The Raith players, management team and club staff all enjoyed a get-together ahead of the play-off push.
“We just felt finishing second in the league was worth us getting together,” he explained. “Not that we were throwing a big party, or anything like that.
“It was just a day out. And not just ourselves. The office staff were there, the chef and all that as well.
“It was a really good day and good to get everyone together.
“You know what it’s like, you end up sitting down with a few of the players and talking about the season and talking about the next part.
“So, it was a really, really good day. I enjoyed it. It was a bit of fun.”
