'Asking us to play three vital games in six days is unfair' says Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray

Second-placed Raith – a single point behind Scottish Championship leaders Dundee United with 13 games remaining – travel to Ayr United this Saturday before hosting Greenock Morton next Tuesday night and then ending a gruelling spell away to Arbroath next Friday night.

Former Airdrieonians gaffer Murray, 42, told the Fife Free Press: "Three games in a six-day period is a bit strange and a wee bit unfair I felt, especially when we're going to try and win a title.

"It will be two incredibly hard games against Ayr and Morton and then we've got Arbroath as well on the Friday night which makes life difficult for us.

"But that's the way it is. We'll do our best and try and win.”

Having finished down in seventh place in the standings last season, a memorable campaign for the Kirkcaldy side this time around has them an incredible 14 and 18 points ahead of Morton and Ayr respectively going into this weekend’s matches. So six points in their next two games could effectively guarantee Raith the minimum of a top four play-off place come the end of the campaign.

Murray added: "There's always that tiny opportunity we could still be caught. But I do think if we win both those games then we're putting ourselves in an incredible position that would make it very, very hard for teams to catch us that are below us.

"We've obviously got to play Ayr again and Morton again after that.

"But to be where we are, 14 and 18 ahead of those two teams, with Ayr finishing second last year and Morton very unfortunate not to be in the play-offs.

"If somebody had offered us that at the start of the season we would have bitten their hand off."

When asked how his squad was looking for the Ayr game, Murray added: "We are all right.

"The only one we'll have to check with his head is Shaun Byrne. He got a knee to the head last Friday against Dundee United and had a real shiner of a black eye so we'll need to check on him. But apart from that everybody should be all right.

"There are a few bump and bruises but there is no panic or no real concerns to be honest."