Davidson delighted with Raith's '˜dirty side' in Arbroath win

The game was Davidson’s first start since November 11 and the centre-half showed no ill-effects to an ongoing back problem with a commanding display which earned him a place in the SPFL team of the week.

The 33-year-old said: “It seems to be a bit of a nerve issue coming off my back into my right hamstring.

“I’ve been going on the bench in case I was needed but the time off has definitely helped because it’s a lot better.

“It’s still niggling away and I felt my hamstring tighten up towards the end of the game so I’m just keeping on top of it with treatment from the physio and trying to do a lot of rehab.

“I got 60 minutes for the under 20s last Tuesday which was probably a good idea after over a month without a game.

“I felt as though I got through Saturday okay and I was happy to do my job, and collectively as a team it was a massive three points.”

Davidson and his team mates were tested to their limits by both Arbroath and the elements as they survived a second half onslaught playing against strong winds.

“It was more relief coming off at the end of the game than anything,” Davidson said.

“It was the same for both teams defending in that wind but we showed a lot of mental resilience, especially in the second half.

“We tried to take advantage in the first half and we could’ve had a couple more , but Smithy’s made a great save right at the end to stop them equalising.

“It was difficult for defenders and goalkeepers but I thought we dug in and showed great character.

“We showed we can do the dirty side of the game, and hopefully that will give us confidence to kick on because we’ve got a tough run of fixtures coming up.”

Ayr’s surprise defeat to Airdrie meant Raith closed the gap on the leaders to five points with two games in hand.

“It probably makes it an even bigger three points,” Davidson added.

“It maybe shows that our draw there a couple of weeks ago was actually a good result in difficult conditions.”