Neill Collins hailed his Raith Rovers side for their ‘willingness’ to battle through a third game in six days to defeat Ayr United.
After last Saturday’s defeat to Livingston, the Stark’s Park outfit saw off Airdrie with a resolute display on Tuesday night.
Asked to go again, just three days later, the Kirkcaldy men roused themselves for a victory earned by a first-half Lewis Jamieson double.
“I’m so pleased,” said Collins, “because I can come and say we played well and we won.
“It’s maybe been a little bit one or the other, so I’m glad that the performance was reflected with three points.
“I was enjoying how we were playing. We got the goal and we had a really good spell in the game.
“We got it when I thought we deserved it, which is important because I think there’s times where you’re playing really well and if you don’t score it can become a psychological thing.
“But we scored and then the goal before half-time makes a big difference.
‘Exceptional’
“I have to say the players handled the second-half exceptionally well and if anything we had the better chances to win the game more comfortably.
“I hear a lot of people say sometimes, ‘oh we’re the fittest team in the league’ or this and that, but all these teams are fit.
“But it’s the willingness to do it, and our players have really showed a great willingness to run and close down and work hard for each other.”
It was a tale of two Lewises in front of the TV cameras as Jamieson grabbed the goals and Stevenson pipped his team-mate to the man-of-the-match award with his display at left wing-back.
The veteran former Hibernian man provided a wonderful assist for Jamieson’s second with a volleyed pass that was knocked in by the on-loan St Mirren marksman.
“It’s funny, I said to him [Stevenson] at half time, he hadn’t kept the ball for the previous five minutes and then he went and did that [the assist],” added Collins, whose side move up to sixth in the table. “It was outstanding.
“Some of the touches and qualities he showed were brilliant and that’s probably why he’s here.
“But both of them did well. Lewis [Jamieson] had to get a slight change of position tonight and it probably suited him.
“And I’m glad he got the rewards because strikers, they just want to get that little bit of a boost with the goals.”
Conversation