Raith Rovers' Ian Murray assesses potential Scottish Premiership play-off final battle against St Johnstone's Craig Levein

Murray, who discovered on Friday night that his play-off semi-final opponents over two legs on Tuesday, May 14 and Friday, May 17 will be Thistle after the Jags saw off Airdrieonians 4-3 on aggregate thanks to Brian Graham’s double at Firhill, knows that getting past Kris Doolan’s side will see his men face either St Johnstone or Ross County for a coveted place in Scotland’s top flight next season.

The 43-year-old, who led the Kirkcaldy side to an excellent runners-up finish behind Dundee United in this season’s Scottish Championship after a fine campaign, told the Fife Free Press: "I wouldn't really prefer one over the other between St Johnstone and Ross County.

"I think they've both got strengths and weaknesses, as have we.

"Ross County have got the firepower, Simon Murray, Eamonn Brophy, Yan Dhanda in midfield.

"But St Johnstone have got a very, very good manager in terms of Craig's managed at the highest level. Sometimes you forget that.

"He knows how to set a team up. They are always quite physical and very, very hard to break down.

"His team is struggling at the moment but a lot can change very quickly.

"I think you always get a chance but I think history shows that it's very, very evident that people look at the team struggling near the bottom of the Premier League and they always think the team from the Championship could go and beat them.

"They can on their day, there's no doubt about it.

"But winning one game is hard, winning two games is even harder.

"We played Livingston this season, who finished quite far behind St Johnstone, yet they beat us.

"But on the flip side we played Kilmarnock who finished in the top six and we should have beaten them in 90 minutes.

"So it just depends on the day but I think it would be naive for anybody to think that when we go up against a Premier League team that it's not going to be very difficult.

"But of course if we get to the final then we've got to go with the belief that we can win.”

Meanwhile, Murray said that he has drawn up several transfer targets, but it is extremely difficult for him to pursue business just now as he doesn’t know if Raith will be playing their trade in the Championship or Premiership in 2024-25.

He added: "We've got quite a long list of potential transfer targets at the moment. But that list will get cut with criteria, who's available, the money it's going to cost and our biggest thing at the moment is what league we're going to be in.

"We just don't know, which makes it really, really hard, and then you need the players to want to come here.”