Raith Rovers defender Iain Davidson wants revenge for East Fife derby celebrations

The 34-year-old was forced off the pitch at half-time due to injury the last time the sides met at Bayview in November, a match which saw East Fife come from behind to win 2-1 thanks to a last-minute winner.

It was their first win over the Kirkcaldy side in 30 years, sparking wild celebrations among the Methil players and fans, so much so that home goalkeeper Brett Long was shown a red card for racing across the pitch to goad the Raith fans.
Davidson plans to use those memories as motivation for this Saturday’s derby at Stark’s Park.

“That was a disappointing day,” he said.

“I came off at half-time with a hamstring problem and I was gutted that I couldn’t affect the second half.

“What I did remember was the way they celebrated, and I’ve mentioned that to the boys already.

“We’re at home, where our record is great, but derbies are all about who wants it more.

“Derbies can be unpredictable but we’ve got a lot of confidence, especially after coming away from home and beating the league leaders.

“Hopefully we can take that into next week and make amends for the last result against East Fife.”

Davidson hailed the full team effort that earned victory in Saturday’s top of the table clash in Arbroath.

Rovers travelled to Gayfield with question marks against their away form after losing three of their previous four away fixtures in League One.

But the Kirkcaldy side came up with the answers to claim a deserved 2-0 win at one of the toughest venues in the lower leagues.

“We knew what was at stake,” Davidson said.

“The three points was all that mattered and we emphasised all week how important that was.

“I’m a big believer that you do your talking on the pitch and I thought we did that.

“Away from home we have struggled but I thought to a man we were different class.

“Even our wingers who are flair players were working back, and as a back four and goalkeeper we’re delighted to keep a clean sheet.

“The tackles were flying in, people were on the front foot, aggressive and wanting to win.

“The work-rate was excellent, we kept a clean sheet and we could have had a few more goals.

“It was a great squad effort, and that’s what’s required.

“It shows we can do it away from home.

“It’s just implementing it every time we can to these places.

“Hopefully now we can push on.”

The victory reduced the gap at the top of the table to 10 points, and while Raith still have a lot of catching up to do, Davidson reckons the result might test Arbroath’s resolve.

“Pyschology is a big thing in sport,” he said.

“We’re the first team to beat them and maybe that can swing in our favour.

“The standard they’ve set is pretty incredible, and you have to give them respect.

“It’s quite freakish what they’ve done, I’ve never seen anything like it.

“Ending their run is massive for us, but all we’ve done is close the gap.

“They’re still in the driving seat, but there’s still a long way to go and we’re starting to get all our players back.

“It’s just Regan Hendry to come back, who is a big player for us as well.”