Raith Rovers manager Neill Collins glad of time off after Morton defeat
New Raith Rovers manager Neill Collins says he was glad of the respite afforded by the mid-season break following the Fifers’ 2-0 loss away to Greenock Morton at the start of the month to take stock of his squad and prepare for the rest of the current William Hill Championship season.
That time out – but for a testimonial match for Ross Matthews at home to a Heart of Midlothian XI on Wednesday, October 9, yielding a 3-2 victory, thanks to goals from Lewis Jamieson, Dykan Easton and Jack Hamilton – gave Collins his first bit of breathing space since arriving at Kirkcaldy’s Stark’s Park just over a month earlier, with away defeats to Ayr United and Dunfermline Athletic by 3-2 and 2-0, a 3-3 home draw with Hamilton Academical and a 1-0 home win hosting table-toppers Falkirk following ahead of two weeks off prior to Saturday’s 1-1 draw hosting Queen’s Park.
“It was definitely really good on a lot of counts,” said the former Barnsley and Tampa Bay Rowdies boss.
“Since I’d taken charge, it’d been a whirlwind, even from the players’ perspective, so that time off was really important to get some work done on the training pitch but also to give the boys some time to regroup themselves.
“Our biggest focus was to get ready for the next game and I think we made use of that time really well.
“I’m not a huge fan of breaks but this one came possibly at the right time for us.
“We’re just trying to make this team better and make this club better and that’s what our focus has been daily.”
Raith’s season continues with a trip to second-placed Livingston this coming Saturday, with kick-off at 3pm.
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