Raith Rovers are sweating over the availability of striker Lewis Vaughan for their crunch clash against Partick Thistle.
The fans’ favourite has only just returned from over five months out following hamstring surgery.
It was a lay-off that was extended by a couple of weeks due to a minor knee issue.
However, following just three games back, the 29-year-old has been struggling this week because of illness.
Should he be forced to miss the trip to Firhill, where Raith will try to close the seven-point gap on Thistle in fourth, it would be another striking blow for Rovers in a season troubled by injuries.
Forwards Callum Smith and Jack Hamilton are currently missing with long-term issues.
“Lewis Vaughan is out at the moment,” boss Barry Robson told Courier Sport. “So, we’ll have to wait and see where he’s at.
“We’re not having much luck with injuries and strikers are we?
“But, no, listen, he might be alright on Friday. We’ll see.”
Robson explains Pollock move
The absence of Vaughan would make the availability of Finlay Pollock all the more important.
The on-loan Hearts attacker, who turned in a man-of-the-match performance in Friday’s Fife derby win over Dunfermline, has agreed to stay for the Partick showdown before joining up with the Scotland U/21s in Spain on Saturday.
Robson, who will be without skipper Scott Brown as he recovers from a calf injury, has questioned the sense of arranging friendlies at this juncture in the season when teams will be deprived of key players for important league matches.
But he has welcomed Pollock’s mature approach to his discussions behind the scenes.
“It’s a difficult one for us, obviously,” added Robson. “He’s playing really well and he’s a big part of the team at the moment.
“For me, it’s down to the player. I can’t force him to do it either way.
“He’s wanting to go and play for Scotland, and rightly so. So, I never put any pressure on him.
“I just said, ‘we’ve got massive games and you’ve been important for us’ and we just came to an agreement. He’s quite mature for his age.
“But we don’t want him losing out on a Scotland cap at 21 levels. Playing for Scotland is a brilliant honour, I was lucky enough to do it myself.”
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