Neill Collins built up plenty of derby experience as a player – but admits he will take ‘comfort’ from Raith Rovers’ Fife derby knowhow.
The Stark’s Park men rewrote the history books last season when they clocked up five straight victories over rivals Dunfermline.
Unbeaten across the campaign in the fixture in 2023/24, the Kirkcaldy outfit have tasted defeat just once in the last 13 meetings of the local rivals.
There are new players on both sides and Collins is a fresh face in the Raith dugout as he makes his derby bow.
But the former Sunderland, Wolves and Sheffield United defender believes Rovers can lean on their recent success as they bid to earn the bragging rights yet again.
“I’ve heard about last season and about how dominant we were,” said Collins, who played in Sheffield, Black Country and Yorkshire derbies during his time as a player.
“That brings a different challenge with it, because I’m sure James McPake and Dunfermline will be well motivated to try to turn that around.
“Equally, I know we’ve got some players – like Lewis Vaughan – who have had some great moments in this fixture.
“The biggest thing I recognise is how much it means to both sets of fans.
Collins: ‘I know how much it means’
“This is what they love and what they’re passionate about, and then you can talk about bragging rights and everything.
“I know how much it means to them.”
He added: “Yes, we’ve got new players, but we’ve got players that were part of last season.
“It’s very much a part of them being comfortable. So the players who played will know what it takes to win a derby and how to handle themselves.
“That’s important. It’s definitely comfort knowing that we’ve got a lot of players who have done it before.”
Sam Stanton was Raith’s talisman in the derbies last season, scoring four times in six games and netting two outright winners.
Vaughan has also scored a double in a 5-1 victory and a first hat-trick for Rovers in the fixture in almost a century.
“You make the decision based on now,” added Collins. “But there’s Lewis Vaughan’s past in the fixture, Sam’s good record, and you consider that.
“You always do what you think’s going to win the game over the 90 minutes. But all these things have been going through our heads and we’ve had talks about them.”
Settling down
Collins has been thrown in the deep end somewhat with his team’s fixtures since his appointment last Tuesday.
The SPFL Trust Trophy encounter with league leaders Ayr United ended in a 3-2 defeat after an impressive first-half display had Raith two goals ahead at half-time.
And now he has a derby to contend with as Rovers seek just a second win in eight games.
However, the ex-Tampa Bay Rowdies and Barnsley boss says he is settling into his new surroundings.
“The day-to-day things are slowly starting to settle down,” he explained. “The first few days there was a lot going on, a lot of people to meet and getting to know people.
“But, from a training perspective, I’ve been really, really happy with how the players have worked and their attitude.
“I’ve got to consider that you can’t overload them, you can’t try to build Rome in a day, as they say.
“But I think you could see on Sunday more than enough positives, and it’s another challenge on Friday night to see it again.”
Conversation