Barry Smith knows Raith Rovers can take a massive step towards their dream of an immediate return to the Championship by defeating title rivals Ayr United on Saturday.
Rovers are back in pole position in Ladbrokes League One after three wins in a row while Ayr have lost two of their last three.
The Kirkcaldy men can pull four points clear with a win this weekend – and if they win their two games in hand they could be a massive 10 ahead going into the final phase of the campaign.
Smith, who has been named Ladbrokes League One manager of the month for December, knows it’s a pivotal moment but he is refusing to get carried away.
He said: “There is a wee bit of distance between ourselves and Ayr and the rest of the division but I wouldn’t rule anyone out yet because there are so many hard games to come.
“We obviously went ahead of them into top soot last weekend so there is no doubt it would a great game for us to win as we would increase our lead.
“But they will be saying the same thing as they could overtake us.
“It’s our home game and we have a very good record at Starks Park and we want to continue that.
“But there is no doubt it’s going to be a very difficult game. They’ve got good strikers, like ourselves, and they have scoring a lot of goals this season.
“We know the threat that Ayr pose but we carry a threat too.
“It’s only halfway through the season but there is no doubt it would be a big moment for us if we could win this game as it would show we are going in the right direction.”
Smith has praised the spirit of his after a blip in November – especially as there have been so many injuries.
He added: “We suffered three defeats in a week in November and he boys showed a lot of character to come back from that bad week and get some important results from there on in.
“We’ve only lost two games in the league so far – and that’s despite being hit with a lot of injuries.
“Guys have been playing with knocks – and out of position – and we’ve some long-term ones too like Kyle Benedictus who has been out for four months now.
“But the guys have really stepped up to plate just to get out there and do their best for Raith Rovers.”
