Barry Robson hopes Aiden Marsh is coming good for Raith Rovers at the perfect time.
The Barnsley striker has struggled to make much of an impact at Stark’s Park since joining on loan in January.
He has started just one league game and had just one goal to his name going into last weekend’s clash with league leaders Falkirk.
But the 21-year-old certainly made an impression against the Bairns with an 88th-minute leveller just seven minutes after coming off the bench.
The goal sparked a stunning finale from Robson’s side who bagged three goals in just eight minutes to snatch a dramatic 3-1 victory and boost their play-off hopes.
With Jack Hamilton, Callum Smith and Finlay Pollock all sidelined through injury, there is room for a goal-scoring hero to emerge against Morton and Queen’s Park in the last two vital games.
And Robson hopes Marsh is primed to grab any chance he gets with both hands.
“He started really brightly when he first came in, Aiden,” Robson told Courier Sport.
“But, when Finlay [Pollock] was performing really well, and so was Jamie Gullan and Dylan Easton, he found it tough to get in at times.
Robson: Marsh ‘a really good kid’
“Probably, he’ll have learned a lot about when you’re struggling to get in the team. You’ve got to really make it count, when you do get your chance.
“And I think he’s starting to really realise that now. He’s starting to see it and he’s starting to probably feel it.
“That’s when you’ve got to come on the pitch, and you’ve got to make a real statement, if you can. He did that last week.
“So, it’s down to him to keep trying to do that.
“He’s a really good kid about the place. I’ve got a lot of time for him. He works hard. He’s done well for us.
“We would love it if he could score some more goals from now to the end of the season.”
Robson admits the performances of Marsh, and fellow replacements Aidan Connolly and Shaun Byrne against Falkirk, was an indication of what Rovers will need in the coming days.
“The whole squad’s really important, and even more so now at this stage of the season,” added Robson ahead of the home clash with Morton.
“We’re going to need all the energy we’ve got, and we need everybody.
“I had a meeting with the players this morning about that. Everybody is important – all the staff, everybody at the club. We’ve all got to keep pushing.”
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