Challenge Cup final motivation can help Raith Rovers’ league title push

With 21 squad members currently fit and available for selection – a luxury the club has rarely had in recent seasons – competition for places is at an all-time high.

And with one eye on securing their Challenge Cup final place against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at McDiarmid Park on Saturday, March 28, McGlynn hopes that will continue to bring out the best in his players in the upcoming fixtures.

“That’s what we’re hoping for – the fact that everyone will want to play in a cup final,” he said.

“I’m not suggesting the players wouldn’t be giving 100 per cent anyway in the endeavour to win the league – of course that’s there – but this has just added that little bit more.

“We’ve got 21 players fit and ready to play, and they are all doing extremely well and vying for positions.

“We now have a situation where you don’t want to go out of the team because you might not get back in.

“It doesn’t seem to matter what 11 we put on the park, all the players are in form, and training on Monday morning was absolutely brilliant. It was possibly one of the best sessions we’ve had all season.

“We can only hope we can kick on from here, with the added motivation of a cup final to look forward to and three of our next four games at home.”

Friday’s semi-final win at Firhill was a memorable one for everyone associated with the club.

 “It was a great night,” McGlynn said. “You go there with hope and a bit of belief because we’ve been going well, but you’ve still got to go and do it.

“We matched them in virtually every department and, at one point in the second half, we could have put the game to bed.

“We appreciate Partick are bottom of the league but something tells me they won’t finish there. I think they’ll pick up and be safe, and it will be seen as a very good result we got on Friday night.”

Rovers have lost just one of their last 12 league games and sit top of League One by one point ahead of Falkirk, who closed the gap with a midweek win over East Fife.

Clyde provide the opposition this Saturday as Rovers return to Stark’s Park after three weeks on the road.

“They’ve extended David Goodwillie’s contract, they’ve got John Rankin back, who was a big player for them last season in their promotion push, and they’ve brought in a few players on loan,” McGlynn said.

“Both previous games have produced goals, and I imagine this game will produce goals, we just have to make sure we get one more than Clyde.

“We’ve got to keep our feet on the ground, work our socks off, try to play our football, and take it one game at a time.”

A slight injury doubt surrounds left back Kieran MacDonald, who was suffering from tight hamstrings towards the end of the win over Partick, after Raith had used all three subs.

McGlynn added: “We don’t think it will make him miss the weekend but it will probably be Thursday before he trains

“We’ll just continue to give him treatment and manage that situation.”