Raith Rovers boss Dougie Imrie on whether he thinks he'll get good reception at ex-club Greenock Morton today

For the match marks a first return to Cappielow for Raith manager Dougie Imrie since his Kirkcaldy switch nearly three months ago, while ’Ton boss Ian Murray comes up against his former charges whom he managed between 2022 and 2024 before being fired one match into the 2024-2025 season despite having led Raith to a second-place finish and subsequent Premiership play-off final appearance in the previous campaign.

Rovers boss Imrie, who managed Greenock Morton for four years, told the Fife Free Press: "It’s just how football works at times. I think Ian’s waited a long time to get back in, he’s managed to find his way in at Morton, he’s got a good group there.

"I can tell you what they eat for their breakfast! But in terms of how they’re going to play I would imagine that I don’t think there will be much change.

"The same could probably be said about Ian because he brought most of my players to Raith. So he knows them inside out, he might know their strengths and weaknesses. I think it’s a really fascinating game.

"I’ve watched the last couple of Morton games. They kind of play the same way I played with them, 4-2-3-1. But with bringing in Curtis Main they might go to a front two with Eamonn Brophy.

"But who knows? That’s the good thing about football, you turn up on the day, see what formation a team is playing and you have to adapt.

"We built a good squad over the summer so Ian has got a good group. But it’s up to him now the way he wants to play, how he manages players to go and try and get the best out of that group.

"But for me it’s not my issue any more. My issue is here at Raith and how we go about trying to get as many points as we can between now and the end of the season."

Imrie said his squad – sixth in the table with 28 points from 24 matches – were in good fettle having beaten Hamilton Accies 5-1 in a bounce game last Thursday with five different goalscorers. Raith players were then given a few days off to recover and rest for the hectic schedule coming up.

When asked about his memories of working as Morton gaffer from 2022 to 2026, Imrie said: “I was at Morton for four years. There were some good times and some bad times.

"But that happens at every football club, you go through periods where you do well and then you don’t do so well.

"I would like to think I would get some sort of good reception but that’s not always the case in football.

"People move on and fans get a little bit of their backs up as they want to support the new manager.

"But my time there I really enjoyed. So from my point of view I’ve only got good things to say about the football club.

"We had four great years, some tricky periods.

"When I first went in we were struggling, managed to survive, had a fantastic first full season and then all change.

"But in the main I think I had a really successful period there. There are a lot of good people within the football club and I have a lot of good memories.

"As a manager you’ve got to move on. I now have a job to do for Raith Rovers who are my full focus.

"I want to go there and win. That’s all I’m thinking about.

"I’m not worried about the noise or anything, my full focus is on the group.

"Can we go there and come away with a good result?”