Jordan Doherty insists Raith Rovers are determined to produce a ‘solid reaction’ to their weekend drubbing when they face Livingston tonight.
The Stark’s Park outfit succumbed to a 4-0 hammering at home to Queen’s Park on Saturday.
It was a performance wrecked by individual mistakes and the concession of soft goals as Barry Robson’s side were too easily brushed aside by their visitors.
Having leaked just one goal in their previous three league games, it was a surprisingly poor defensive display from the Kirkcaldy men.
But Doherty is convinced Raith have learned lessons from the defeat as they bid to recover from costly back-to-back losses to Airdrie and Queen’s Park.
“The lads worked so hard through the week. And then, when you come out of a game with a result like that, it’s obviously a tough one to take,” the versatile defender said to Courier Sport.
“We feel that in the changing room, as a group of players, and we want to do better.
“A good, solid reaction is going to be important and hopefully we can go to Livingston and get a [positive] result. We’ll be right up for it after that result, we’ve got to be.
“In football, you’ve always got the next game, which is the most important thing, really.
Doherty: ‘A good opportunity’ for Raith
“I think it’s a good opportunity for us to go to a good side away from home and put on a good performance, first and foremost, and hopefully get some points.
“We’re looking forward to it. We want to put things right from the weekend.
“We’ll go out there and we’ll look to put on a good performance and hopefully get a win.”
What has made the consecutive defeats all the more disappointing for Raith – who have Lewis Vaughan back fit – is they have cost them the chance to close the gap on Partick Thistle in fourth spot.
Two victories – in winnable games – would have taken Robson’s team above the Jags and into a play-off berth.
Instead, with one game in hand, they remain five points adrift. And they are now just six points above ninth-placed Dunfermline in the dreaded relegation play-off position.
Doherty, signed in December by previous boss Neill Collins, who he played under at Tampa Bay Rowdies in the United States, is certain Rovers can still aim high.
“There’s always a team that puts a run together,” the 24-year-old added. “And we want that to be us – and I think we’re close to being there.
“Obviously, we know results like that at the weekend aren’t good enough. But that’ll only drive us on and push us together as a group.”
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