From a calamitous and cruel relegation to a dream promotion, Ross Matthews confesses Raith Rovers’ play-off journey will ‘top everything’ if they can reach the Premiership.
Matthews has enjoyed the highs and endured the lows over a rollercoaster 11 years at Stark’s Park.
Recently granted a testimonial, the 28-year-old began his professional life with the Kirkcaldy outfit as a Championship player.
That ended in disastrous fashion when Rovers dropped into League One after their painful penalty-kicks defeat to Brechin City in the 2017 play-offs.
It then took them three years to escape back to the second-tier.
Now, they have the opportunity to lift the club back into the top-flight for the first time in 27 years.
“It would mean everything,” said Matthews when asked about the prospect of promotion with Raith. “We’ve always wanted to play in the Premiership.
“There have been some low moments. I was part of the team that got relegated to League One – but then in the team that came back up.
“There have been highs and lows but, if we were to reach our ultimate goal, that would top everything. It would be our best achievement to date.
‘The best time’
“With the new owners coming in, the club is progressing and you can see there is that real drive to get into the Premiership.
“Everything is improving – the facilities, the squad. Just now is the best time to be at the club.”
Matthews played the whole of the first-leg against Brechin in 2017. But he was taken off in the second-half of the second-leg, long before the nerve-shredding spot-kick shoot-out.
“I remember watching on from the bench,” added Matthews. “I still remember that feeling.
“Not the full game, but I remember the feeling in the changing room after. I can remember it quite clearly.
“To go from that to being potentially promoted would be incredible.
“But there is a long way to go, a full other round, so I’m trying not to think about that too much.”
Matthews’ experience, grit and determination could prove valuable in the heat of the forthcoming two-legged battle with Partick Thistle.
The fans’ favourite turned in one of his best performances of the season during Raith’s last trip to Firhill in March, when they earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory.
Injury comeback
They would be thrilled to leave Maryhill with the same result from the first-leg of their Premiership play-off on Tuesday night.
But, on a personal level, even being involved in such a high-profile encounter seemed a long way off for Matthews at his lowest ebb, when he struggled with a foot injury and two operations two seasons ago.
Further complicated by an ankle issue last summer, Matthews had not played for over a year when he made his first appearance of the campaign back in January.
“I was back training before Christmas and then gradually in the team,” he explained. “When you’re injured it’s hard, you try and stay positive but it’s difficult.
“When I was watching I was thinking, ‘I want to be part of this team’.
“We were playing really good football at the start of the season and winning a lot of games. You are happy for the boys, but desperate to be part of it.
“With the signings we made in the summer, I thought, ‘we could have a right chance here’.
“When you pick up a few wins and build momentum everyone starts believing you can go up.”
