John McGlynn plays down Raith Rovers' favourites tag in play-off against Forfar Athletic

Loons boss Jim Weir has branded Rovers favourites due to their full-time status, but McGlynn isn’t so sure given the Angus club have been the best team in the division by some distance in the calendar year.

McGlynn also claimed that the Station Park side have invested heavily in their pursuit of promotion to the Championship, pointing to the signings of experienced former Premier League players such as John Baird, Gary Irvine and Adam Eckersley.

“They are the team of 2019, they are above us in the table and they’ve beaten us the last twice up there, so who’s kidding who?” he said.

“They’re a club who are paying big wages, as well as signing on fees. I’ve never paid a signing on fee in all the time I’ve been at Raith Rovers - never once.

“Let’s not kid ourselves on – they’ve got good players but they’re investing in it.

“We don’t necessarily have that but that’s a challenge for us to go and put it right and show that we can beat them over two legs.

"I always look at these situations as, ‘bring it on’.”

Raith will be hoping to reverse a trend that has seen them lose all five of their previous play-off ties to date, and McGlynn is no doubt over what it will take.

“We’ve got to fight and scratch, and be prepared to battle all the way,” he said.

“We’ve shown on our day in big games – like against Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup – that we can achieve a high level of performance under pressure. We’ll be as prepared as we can be, and ready for it.”