There is certain to be a determination from the Fir Parkers that they will deliver a better performance than was witnessed by those who travelled to see Ayr United win by the handsome 4-0 margin on Saturday. Raith Rovers are in Division One and, in theory, they should provide a stiffer test but Stuart McCall’s reaction after the last outing suggests that he’ll be looking for a reaction.
Rovers drew with Ross County last week before losing 3-0 to Hearts at the weekend and under the charge of returning manager John McGlynn they will be keen to take an SPL scalp before the competitive season gets under way.
The Kirkcaldy club has received much goodwill from fans all over Scotland following their much publicised stance regarding the newco debate and with any luck they will benefit from an slightly increased travelling support.
Given our small squad it will be important that we don’t lose any players from injuries in the warm up games. Higdon received a cut to the scalp art Somerset Park but nothing else was reported. The fear of a mistimed tackle can reduce these games to ‘touch football’ but it is important that players get match time to build up stamina and sharpness. The impending Champions League draw on Friday will underline the need for the team to get up to fighting fitness.