M'voto happy to play his part in Raith success

That’s understandable, since no-one in the division has scored more goals than the Stark’s Park club, with only Queen of the South matching the seven that sits in the goals­ for column.

However, the other end of the park has been just as impressive, with just a solitary goal conceded in three fixtures, the best record in the second ­tier.

Summer addition Jean­ Yves M’Voto has played a major role in that, and he impressed again on Saturday, as he and his defensive partner Kyle Benedictus, helped to restrict Dunfermline to a handful of half chances.

“It was a hard, difficult game because it was a derby, and the crowd was a bit bigger than the other matches so far, but we handled it and stayed focused,” he said.

“Dunfermline had a good spell for 25 minutes or so, but we held on. When we got on top, we managed to capitalise with our two goals.

“After the first goal, the game opened up, and we were a lot better at passing and keeping the ball.

“I thought we improved a lot in the second­ half.”

The injury to Aaron Lennox early in the match meant the defence had the added problem of shielding an injured goalkeeper, but the big defender was delighted with the way the team dealt effectively with the situation.

“I’m not sure what happened to Aaron, but I knew he was struggling,” M’Voto added.

“Kyle Benedictus even had to take the goal-kicks, so we knew we’d have to dig deep, but we’ve a great spirit amongst us.

“We defended really well as a team, and everyone did their bit. We stopped a lot of their crosses coming in and helped protect our goalkeeper.

“As a group, we were really strong.”

M’Voto was voted as man ­of ­the­ match by the match sponsor, and while the 27-­year-­old was happy to accept, he was quick to point out the importance of the team over the individual.

“I didn’t expect to win the award,” he confessed. “I was really focused on the game, and the main thing for me is the group, that’s what I focus on. If someone thinks I had a good game, great, but the rest of the team must have helped me get it. That, plus the win makes it perfect.”

While theChampionship table currently makes pleasant viewing for Rovers fans, Jean insists the players’ hopes and ambitions are very much realistic.

He added: “We’ll go game by game, because that’s the best thing to do, and it’s too early to think about play-offs or anything else, although if we keep winning, maybe some people will start to think differently.”