Barry Robson is convinced Raith Rovers are heading in the ‘right direction’ as they make a late push for a shot at promotion.
Robson is the Kirkcaldy club’s third manager of the season and is delighted they are finishing a topsy-turvy campaign looking up the table after flirting with a possible relegation battle a few months ago.
The Stark’s Park men host title-chasing Ayr United on a five-game unbeaten run and with five matches remaining to land fourth spot and a play-off.
To do so, they will have to overhaul a six-point gap to Partick Thistle one place above in the Championship table.
Whatever happens, Robson is satisfied Rovers have made progress since he succeeded Neill Collins in December.
“I think nervy is when you’re in a relegation fight,” Robson told Courier Sport when asked about the emotions of the run-in.
“When I first came into the job, when I looked at it, it probably was what the club was looking at. It was the relegation side.
“It was like, ‘we need to get out of this’. When I came here, people were looking underneath rather than above.
“So I think what we have achieved, what we have done, is we’ve given ourselves an opportunity to have a go up there.”
Robson: ‘We’ve given ourselves a chance’
Robson added: “We’ve come right away from the relegation zone and given ourselves a chance at trying to get up the way.
“So, I think credit has to go to the players and credit to the club.
“We’ve taken the club in the right direction, back up to where we want to be.
“But we’ve still got five games to go, to try and win as many as we can, to try and see if you can push for that fourth position. You’ve got to look at that.”
Robson acknowledges his team face a formidable task in getting the points they need against Ayr.
The Honest Men need wins themselves to have any chance of reining in Falkirk, who are a huge eight points ahead in top spot, or sealing their current second and an easier path through the play-offs.
Also needing favours from teams elsewhere, Raith are intent on concentrating on the job they have in front of them.
“It’s a cliche, isn’t it?” added Robson, who is waiting for decisions on a couple of players with ‘knocks’. “But everybody’s just got to take care of their own stuff.
“We’ve been in good form, we’ve gone five unbeaten, and we’ve had four games away from home in that run as well.
“So, we’re in a good spot. It’s got to be full pedal to the metal, isn’t it? Keep the boys going, keep going, keep pushing, because you never know in football.”
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