Neill Collins is already hopeful new signing Fankaty Dabo will love life at Raith Rovers so much he will want to stay beyond January.
The former Chelsea and Coventry City defender penned a short-term deal to move to Stark’s Park last week.
And the 28-year-old made a quick-fire debut as a late substitute in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Falkirk as the Raith earned Collins his first win as manager.
The Rovers boss is convinced the fans will ‘enjoy watching’ Dabo, who has a reputation for being attack-minded from the right-back position.
He is also optimistic the ex-England U/20 internationalist will be happy enough in Kirkcaldy to prolong his spell north of the border.
“We know the pedigree Fankaty’s got and we believe we can provide him with a good platform and he’ll enjoy it that much that he’ll want to stay,” Collins told Courier Sport.
“But, equally, he’s got a family down south, so we’ll just take it as it comes.
“For me, it was important to get someone in until at least January to give us that support.
“And then hopefully it all goes well and he’ll feel like we’re working towards something that he wants to be part of.
“He’s a player the fans will really enjoy watching.
Attributes
“But we just have to be mindful of making sure we have him fit for the time that he’s here.”
Dabo, who can count the likes of Marc Guehi, Dominic Solanke, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori as former team-mates, gives Raith a fresh option in a position that has proved a problem since Ross Millen was frozen out last season.
And Collins has revealed the qualities that saw the free agent come highly recommended from south of the border.
“Part of the recruitment process is the position but also what attributes we need,” added Collins.
“Fankaty ticked the box in terms of being a right-sided player, but one that can be very forward-thinking and very positive.
“He’s quick and he’s strong, and his pedigree speaks for itself.
“As a club, I think it says a lot that we were able to bring him to Raith Rovers.
“He gives us great balance on that side, which I think is really, really important.
“Some of the feedback I got on Fankaty from managers who I trust was that he’s a leader and a good character.
“I think we’ve got a lot of them [leaders] but it’s never a bad thing to add in another.”
Meanwhile, Raith’s home clash with Ayr United, originally scheduled for Saturday, November 2, will now take place the night before and will be screened live on BBC Scotland.
Conversation