Lewis Stevenson knows what a successful Raith Rovers can bring to his home town and is determined to help return ‘a wee buzz’ to the club and community this season.
The left-back was born and raised in Kirkcaldy and grew up going to Stark’s Park before finally getting to play for his boyhood heroes this summer.
The 36-year-old always wore his heart on his sleeve during nearly two decades at Hibernian, but there is a clear sense of pride in his performances for Rovers.
That shone through on Friday night when he managed to win the man-of-the-match award in a game when team-mate Lewis Jamieson scored twice to see off Ayr United 2-0.
For Stevenson, who produced a wonderful assist for the second goal, it was a matter of paying back the supporters who have stuck by the team this season in some difficult times.
“You know what, the fans have actually been really good,” reflecting on Raith’s first consecutive victories of the season after the midweek win against Airdrie.
“I can’t believe there’s been games where we’ve been getting beaten and they’ve still been clapping us off – which is probably different to what I’ve been used to in stages in my career!
“So, we owed them one because they have stuck by us.
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“Even against Airdrie, I think there was 3,000 that came in for that one. It wasn’t our best performance, but we managed to hang in.
“And I think it was probably a lot better for them to watch on Friday.
“It showed what we can do with the ball, not just without the ball, and the fans were a big part of it as well.
“I know what it’s like and how much the club means to this community and this town.
“So hopefully we can keep that going and get a wee buzz about the place again.”
The victory moved Raith into sixth in the table before Saturday’s results dropped them back down to seventh.
Stevenson believes there is something brewing at Stark’s Park now that Rovers are finally getting the rewards for their performances since the arrival of new boss Neill Collins.
“It’s the first time this season we’ve won back-to-back games,” he added. “So hopefully we can kick on from here.
“Hopefully Friday night can be the starter. Then, we can keep it going for a while and start churning out some good results.”
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