Dylan Tait says goodbye to Raith Rovers as he heads for Hibs

The midfielder took his final bow at Stark’s Park when he came on as a second half substitute in the 0-0 stalemate on Sunday, before moving on to Premiership side Hibernian having signed with them in the summer before being loaned back to Raith.

It was somewhat of a muted farewell, coming in front of just 500 fans due to covid restrictions, but Tait said he was sad to be leaving the club where he made his professional breakthrough, signing a senior contract in 2019 as a graduate of the Fife Elite Academy and going on to make 57 appearances for Rovers, scoring seven goals.

“I’ve played here for three years since I was a young boy so it was quite emotional to have played my last game,” he said.

“I wish all the fans could have been here, it would have been even better, but the fans clapped me off at the end and that means a lot to me.”

The 20-year-old says winning the League One title in 2020 was the highlight of his time at the club, though adds there are many others.

“Having a league winners medal at such a young age and getting to the Challenge Cup Final, making my debut and scoring my first goal are all among my favourite moments since I broke through.”

Tait credits the management duo of John McGlynn and Paul Smith for improving him as a player and helping him to become a more rounded human in general.

“They’ve done so much for me,” he says, “on the pitch and even off the pitch.

“They’ve made me a better person and a nicer person.

“They were always there when you needed them for whatever reason; football, family, friends.

"Any advice you needed, they were there.

“The more experienced players were a help too.

“Kyle Benedictus has always really helped me as did Davo (Iain Davidson) when he was here.

“John Baird really helped me and now there’s Christophe Berra and Jamie MacDonald who’ve been massive for me.

“I’ve made a lot of good friends here.

There’s plenty of good players in there and hopefully they can go on and win the league.”