The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Raith Rovers veteran full of ‘desire and hunger’ to add to his medal collection
Defender Anderson targets third trophy win
Steven Anderson insists the march of time has done nothing to sate his appetite for silverware.
The Raith Rovers veteran has the opportunity to reach the quarterfinal of the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup when the Fifers host Northern Irish outfit Glenavon.
Anderson, 33, lifted the trophy in 2007 when St Johnstone defeated Rovers’ fierce Fife foes Dunfermline at Dens Park.
He also wrote his name into Saints’ folklore when he scored the opening goal in their Scottish Cup final triumph over Dundee United in 2014 – their first major honour.
Anderson knows he has finite time left to add to his medal collection and is as hungry as ever to go all the way this season.
He said: “This is a real chance to win a cup – that’s how I am viewing it.
“I’m getting older and as the time goes on, you don’t get many more chances to lift a trophy.
“You get recognition for it, you get a medal and there is nothing like getting silverware.
“I’ve been lucky enough to win this competition before and I want to win it again.
“Regardless of what cup competition it is – and I’ve obviously won the Scottish Cup with St Johnstone too – I still have that desire and hunger for more.”
Glenavon arrive in Kirkcaldy on a run of wretched results.
Gary Hamilton’s men have racked up 7-0 and 6-1 defeats in their last two games, against Linfield and Larne, respectively, and currently sit in ninth place in the Northern Ireland Premiership.
However, Anderson is refusing to read anything into those maulings and insists Raith have done their due diligence on the unfamiliar visitors.
He continued: “They’ve conceded a lot of goals in their previous games but that might be deceptive.
“They are playing against the best teams in the top division of their country, so that can happen.
“The gaffer (John Mcglynn) has been thorough and we’ll have videos of Glenavon and look at the highlights.
“We’ll know a lot about them and have plenty of information about them by the time kick-off comes. We’ll be well prepared.”
Meanwhile, Rovers’ boss welcomed the distraction from a fraught battle at the summit of League One – but has ordered his side to continue the table toppers’ momentum.
Raith are two points clear of East Fife, the top scorers in the division and Mcglynn and Anderson recently claimed manager and player of the month for September.
And Mcglynn added: “It’s a nice distraction to have.
“It’s a chance to put the league on the back-burner and go up against unfamiliar opposition.
“There is a freshness to the fixture and, with the opportunity to get to the last-eight, anything could happen from there.
“We will slightly freshen up the team but they key thing for me is to continue the momentum.
“It’s a chance to keep the focus building, continue to play at a high tempo and we won’t go rusty from not having a game this week. I feel that’s a really positive thing.”
Mcglynn confirmed that key defender Kyle Benedictus will miss out due to a hamstring injury sustained against the Bairns last weekend, while forward Tony Dingwall could be among the substitutes as he continues his recovery from a serious ankle complaint.