Raith Rovers' Dougie Imrie reveals player who is set to return from injury to face Dunfermline Athletic this weekend
Remarking that Raith Rovers manager Dougie Imrie has had a few injuries to deal with this season is a bit like saying under fire Manchester United gaffer Michael Carrick has been slightly under pressure with the Red Devils now only above the English Premier League drop zone on goal difference.
It’s a different story for Imrie though, with last weekend’s 4-0 victory at Arbroath elevating Raith to second spot in the William Hill Championship on 24 points from 13 matches, just a point behind leaders Partick Thistle who surprisingly lost 3-2 at home to Greenock Morton last Saturday.
Providing an update on the injury situation at Stark’s Park, boss Imrie – who welcomed back midfielder Calum Adamson (who played the first half) and striker Anton Dowds (who played 24 minutes from the bench) at Gayfield but is still without long term absentee Dylan Easton (ankle), John Robertson (abductor tear), Charlie Telfer (hamstring), Lewis Vaughan (knee) and Zak Delaney (knee) – told the Fife Free Press after Monday training as he looked ahead to Tuesday night’s away KDM Evolution Trophy last 32 tie at Hamilton Accies and Friday evening’s home league derby against Dunfermline Athletic: “All I can say is we're in a better place. There may be some more faces, different faces on the bench on Friday. Tomorrow will probably come too soon.
"But it's good to have options at my disposal so that we can change and have a different dynamic to where we are playing than we have had the last four or five weeks.
"Charlie should be available for Friday night. Tomorrow will come too soon for him.
"The other three, Dylan as well, will be a wee bit longer. Vaughany, we'll wait and see.
"Zak gets his operation next Wednesday, so it’s a bit of a blow for him. But, you know, Stevo (Lewis Stevenson) has come in the last couple of games and been excellent.
"So we've got two very good left-backs at the club, two very good right-backs at the club and three great centre-backs at the club.
"There is also good centre-midfield competition and good forward-line competition and two really good goalkeepers. So, for me, the squad's as strong as I would like it.
"But what I've been through in the last four or five weeks, it was good to see Calum back on Saturday and it was good to see Anton back on Saturday.
"You can see the difference straight away.
"I'm really thankful to two or three, four players that are playing with injuries or have just came back from injuries because it'd be easy to sit on the bench or sit in the stand and wait until you're 100%.
"But some of these players at the moment are giving everything for the cause because they want to be on the pitch.
"The ones that will come back will be the exact same, but unfortunately they're not to a level where they can get on the pitch and start to train to get back to match fitness.”