Dougie Imrie's positive message about Raith Rovers squad ahead of vital home game against Airdrieonians
Although his side went down to a disappointing 3-0 William Hill Championship defeat at Dunfermline Athletic last Saturday, Raith Rovers gaffer Dougie Imrie is heartened that all his players are still “fighting for the jersey”.
Imrie, 42, is looking for a reaction from his troops in this Saturday’s vital home encounter against relegation rivals Airdrieonians, who seventh-placed Raith are two places and three points above with a game in hand.
The Stark’s Park boss told the Fife Free Press: “I can't fault the players Monday to Friday. Since I came to the club, they've been terrific.
"It's come a Saturday when the pressure's on, when you need to turn up. And unfortunately, more often than not, we haven't done that.
"It's certainly been the case away from home. At home, fine, no qualms, although we were disappointed in the two games we lost against Dunfermline and Arbroath, because there were big moments in those games that went against us. But we're not making excuses.
"You need to put more into games to win games. That's always the old cliche. You work harder in opposition, you win games. If you don't, then you lose games.
"So, in terms of changing personnel (for the Airdrieonians game), you never know. We'll wait and see what happens on Saturday. But everybody's fighting for the jersey.
"I don't think anybody threw the towel in last Saturday. I think they were working hard.
"We just lost poor goals at the wrong time in the game. The first one can be avoidable then the second and third are avoidable.
"To lose two goals in 90-plus minutes is really disappointing. Take a 1-0, you go up the road. But to lose two and three makes the scoreline a lot worse than it actually was.”