Raith Rovers: Defender Liam Dick pained by injury crisis which has engulfed Stark's Park club this season

The former Alloa Athletic left back, 27, and his Raith mates have lost five and drawn one of their last six games to stay marooned in seventh spot in the Scottish Championship as they struggle to deal with an affliction so bad that only two substitutes could be named for last weekend’s trip to Ayr United.

“I’ve never known as tough a period with injuries as we’ve just had,” Dick, speaking ahead of the season ending home game against Partick Thistle this Friday evening, told the Fife Free Press. "Last week we had to put up with suspensions when we were already low on numbers.

"We’re grateful in a sense that we’re safe. I don’t want that to sound like we weren’t striving for more.

"But, under the circumstances, if we were perhaps in Hamilton, Cove or Arbroath’s position fighting for our lives with the sie of squad and the numbers we have at the moment, it would be nervous times to say the least.

"And equally, even if we were fighting for play-off spots it would be difficult. But the boys that are available never down tools.

"Sometimes for the fans that’s not enough but that’s all we can do on the pitch. Of course we want to still win games.

"I think we’ve just come up slightly short, in the last two especially (1-0 defeats to Greenock Morton and Ayr).

"In the Morton game Vaughany (Lewis Vaughan) has had an incredible strike that’s hit the bar. We had quite a bit of the ball, especially in the second half.

"And then against Ayr at the weekend, we maybe didn’t create as much as we would have liked but at 1-0 down it could have come down to a mistake by them and we kept ourselves in it.

"It’s one you need to almost laugh at because if not you’d cry. We’ve actually got a really good squad with a lot of good players, but just at the minute they’re not available.”

Dick stressed that luck has frequently gone against his side, as illustrated at Somerset Park when Ayr skipper Sean McGinty’s misplaced header from a Ross Millen corner somehow avoided an own goal as it was blocked on the line.

“That incident showed the bad luck we have had when we’ve been down to these bare bones numbers,” Dick added.

"We’ve just not had that final bit of luck. Fair enough, if that header from McGinty had gone in it wouldn’t have won the game for us, but it would have been deserved.

"Ayr United probably feel differently which I can understand. They might say they controlled the game and they should have scored more, but from our point of view we conceded one goal and then we had chances after that.

"You might just think you’ll get a break of luck, but we didn’t which summed up the season.

"A massive downfall for us has been setplays. We’re not scoring enough from them and defensively it’s been no secret we’ve lost a lot of goals.”

Dick, who has also previously played for Falkirk, Stranraer and Dumbarton, is one of 14 Raith players – including loanees – out of contract on May 31.

When asked how talks are progressing over a potential new deal for him at Stark’s Park, Dick added: “At the minute we’ve got the takeover happening. We don’t fully know what’s happening so that obviously leaves boys wondering what is going on.

"No-one’s looking to necessarily rush into anything because it’s your future and anything can happen in football.

"I’ve had a great two years at Raith, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve enjoyed this year with the new manager.

"I think the club’s also going through – with the new owners – a transitional period which sounds really positive.

"It’s an attractive clubs in terms of what they’re looking to do going forward.

"Until things are set in stone, which is outwith my control, I can’t make any decision.”