Raith Rovers boss Ian Murray rocked by hamstring injury to latest signing Lee Ashcroft

Centre-back Ashcroft, 30, was making his Raith debut having just joined on loan from top flight Dundee until the end of the season.

"It’s a wee bit sketchy,” Murray said post match at Somerset Park. “It’s obviously a hamstring injury.

"We don’t know the full extent of it at the moment. Obviously with hamstrings it doesn't matter. If it’s the tiniest of hamstring injuries you are normally two weeks.

"Lee’s going to be longer than that.

"I’m talking about this in layman’s terms. I might be completely wrong here, but I’m thinking if we’re very, very, very lucky it’s going to be four weeks.

"If we’re really, really unlucky it’s probably end of the season because that’s how long it can take. So we’ll find out over the next few days, we’ll get a scan.”

Murray had previously revealed that Ashcroft - who could fill the void left by ex-loan defender Dan O'Reilly who left Raith to join rivals Partick Thistle last month - had been a long time target for Rovers.

"Dan O'Reilly did really well when he was with us," Murray told the Fife Free Press. "We helped him out a little bit as well so it worked out well for both parties.

"Lee was one that we'd actually identified in the summer and we liked but he wasn't available.

"Obviously things in football change.

"He's a proven winner at this level in terms of winning league titles which is an added bonus.

"He's been playing as well, it's not as if he's not played for a long time. He's been in the Dundee team up until a couple of weeks ago, obviously scoring a goal up at Pittodrie.”

Like Dundee striker Zak Rudden just before him, Ashcroft chose to sign for Raith on loan despite interest from several rival Scottish clubs.

Murray added: "It's not a smoke screen or anything, Lee did have several other options.

"I think loan deals are not as easy as people think. Lee's got another year left at Dundee after this season so he's got to think about the longer term for himself.

"Things could change in football really, really quickly. All these dynamics come into it.

"To be completely honest, we weren't the highest offer on the table because we have a limit and we won't go over it for anybody, that's the way it is.

"But we try and sell the club in other aspects in terms of obviously league position does help us, there's no question about that.

"There's more to it as well. There's the environment we've managed to create, the little bit of buzz we have.

"Games like last Friday night (against Dundee United) with a full house, playing in front of 4,000, 5,000, 6,000 people every week, is a huge attraction to the players.

"Lee was a player who chose the right character and hunger in picking our club because it's not always about who pays the most. Sometimes you've got to think a bit beyond that."