Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray vows to use time off to get team back on track after five losses on trot

Raith Rovers have this coming weekend off ahead of a visit from Scottish Championship table-toppers Dundee United next Friday, February 16, and they need to make the most of that break to work out how to get their season back on track after five defeats on the trot in all competitions, according to manager Ian Murray.

Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray after seeing his side beaten 1-0 in their SPFL Trust Trophy semi-final at home to Airdrieonians at Stark's Park in Kirkcaldy on Friday (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group)

The second-placed Fifers go into that top-of-the-table tussle, with kick-off at Kirkcaldy’s Stark’s Park at 7.45pm, four points behind their visitors after 22 league matches, so it could end up proving to be a turning point in this season’s title race one way or the other.

United are on 48 points from 22 fixtures, with Raith on 44 from 22 and third-placed Partick Thistle on 37 from 22.

Rovers have had the upper hand in their dealings with the league leaders so far this campaign, having beaten them 1-0 away in December, thanks to a Dylan Easton goal, following a 1-1 draw at home in October, with Lewis Vaughan scoring for the hosts and Louis Moult equalising for their visitors that time round.

Looking ahead to their third meeting of the season, Murray, speaking after Friday’s 1-0 SPFL Trust Trophy semi-final defeat at home to Airdrieonians, told Raith TV: “We have to really use the next 14 days to rectify the problems we’re having at the moment.

“As I kept saying when we were winning games, we’re all in this together as a collective, and it’s the same when you’re not winning games.

“We have to go away now and really use this time incredibly wisely. We can’t just sit on our hands and think everything’s going to change in the blink of an eye.

“We have to go away look at ourselves and see how we can get ourselves back on track.”