Confidence boost for Zanatta and Raith

On-loan forward helps Barry Smith’s men bounce back from bad run

RAITH ROVERS 2 QUEEN’S PARK 0

Raith Rovers forward Dario Zanatta hopes to make more of an impact from the start after a match-winning substitute’s appearance against Queen’s Park.

The 20-year-old has only started twice since joining on loan from Hearts at the end of August, and admitted he did not do enough on either occasion to keep his place. Zanatta’s three goals for the Kirkcaldy side have all come from the bench.

However, after providing the vital breakthrough against his former club, the Canada youth international hopes for another chance to shine from the start.

“When I’ve started I haven’t done enough so, right now, if I need to come off the bench and prove myself from there, that’s what I’m going to have to do.

“The games I’ve started haven’t gone our way, so coming off the bench and making a difference is going to give me confidence and I’ll go from there,” he said.

“Hopefully that gives the gaffer a tough decision and I’ll be in his thoughts for a start next week.

“I’m still young and have only played 20 to 30 games so there’s a long way of development to go, and I’ve enjoyed my time so far at Raith, so hopefully we can push on from this result.”

Raith were looking to bounce back from a run of three straight defeats and they toiled to break down a wellorganised Queen’s Park for the opening hour until Zanatta’s introduction.

With 63 minutes on the clock, and having just come on, the on-loan forward collected a pass from Lewis Vaughan, side-stepped a defender and fired a leftfoot drive across goal and inside the far post.

It was a vital breakthrough for Raith as they looked to get back on track after a week to forget.

The second goal came a few minutes later with Zanatta again involved. The substitute’s shot was parried by Queen’s goalkeeper Michael White but the rebound fell kindly for Greig Spence to nod the ball over the line.

Raith boss Barry Smith was delighted that his injury-hit squad managed to put a poor week behind them to stay within three points of league leaders Ayr United.

“Queen’s sat in and made it difficult but we made a couple of changes in the second half and that sparked the game to life,” he said.

“The boys work hard every week and I don’t lose confidence in them. I know what I see in training is the type of team I want them to be.

“Today was about being disciplined and working hard, getting back to basics, and we always think we’ve got quality to win games.”

Coming off the bench and making a difference is going to give me confidence. DARIO ZANATTA

Picture: SNS. Greig Spence was on target for Raith in their victory over Queen’s Park.