Raith Rovers will tap into international experience after appointing Mark McKenna to Neill Collins’ backroom team.
The 29-year-old has joined the Stark’s Park outfit as an analyst and coach.
McKenna, who was assistant-manager at St Cadoc’s in the West of Scotland Premier League until September, is a member of Steve Clarke’s staff with the Scotland national team.
He performs the role of performance analysis manager with the Scottish FA, where he has worked for the last seven years.
The former Queen’s Park player has been away on duty with Scotland for the Nations League clashes with Croatia and Poland and so missed Raith’s 3-2 defeat to Morton at the weekend.
However, he will be back on the bench for Saturday’s trip to face Hamilton Accies in Lanarkshire.
“Mark has joined us recently, although he’s been away with the Scottish national team,” said Raith boss Collins. “He’s their head analyst and he works closely with Steve Clarke.
“We’re just giving him an opportunity to experience club football and with us he’s more of a coach/analyst than your typical analyst role that he does for Scotland.
“He’s been really, really good; he’s been a really good addition. He’s obviously splitting his time with his job with Scotland, which is his priority, but we’re very fortunate that he’s helping us out.
‘A different perspective’
“He’s not someone I knew, but someone that I do know recommended him and I did a bit of research.
“He was looking to get a bit of experience, and I met him, and I felt he was someone that could help us.
“I’ve been fortunate that [assistant] Colin Cameron and [goalkeeper coach] Robbie Thomson have been really great since I’ve come in, in terms of how supportive they’ve been. I know it can be difficult for them when a new manager comes in.
“And obviously I’ve got [technical director] John Potter, who’s great as a ‘director of football’, because he’s been an assistant, he’s been a manager, he’s a football person, he’s great.
“But Mark is just someone from the outside, with a different perspective, and he’s been really good.”
McKenna, who has previously been a youth coach and scout with Queen’s Park as well as an analyst with Rangers, replaces Bill Orr at Rovers.
“He’s at a different stage in his career, just young, 29,” added Collins.
“In the past, you played and then became a manager. Whereas now, there’s like a new type of coach, people that have studied the game in a different way.
“And now it just gives us something different.”
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