The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Raith duo at the double as pre-match pact bears fruit
RoveRs: Barr and Davidson pledged to end their goal droughts
Iain Davidson has revealed that he made a pre-match pact with fellow derby hero Bobby Barr that their goal drought would end against East Fife.
The Stark’s Park stalwart was yet to find the net this season, with his last strike coming against Falkirk in October 2016.
While Barr’s dry spell was not quite so lengthy, he had gone five months since his last goal for the club.
Those statistics had not gone unnoticed and Davo revealed that it was a major topic of conversation before kick-off of Tuesday night – with both players vowing to put it right against the men from Methil.
They were as good as their word, with a Barr screamer on the cusp of half-time and Davidson’s late header securing a precious 2-0 win to keep the pressure on rampant Ayr United at the summit of League 1.
Davidson said: “It’s my first of the season and, it’s funny, me and Bobby Barr were actually speaking to each other in the warm-up and were both saying we were due a goal, thankfully we both managed to produce.
“I said to Bobby ‘I need to get the finger out!’ Bobby was feeling good as well and told me he thought he was going to score and the wee man was as good as his word. He has hit a great strike in the first half and that really settled us down.
“The victory is always the most important thing, but it is nice to be back on the scoresheet.”
The hard-fought triumph over a stubborn East Fife side, who hit the post through Chris Duggan, was vital for Barry Smith’s men, ensuring they remain just three points behind Ayr United.
Davidson fully acknowledges that a run of four matches without a win during February and March has put the Honest Men in the box seat, while Ayr’s goal difference is significantly superior.
Nevertheless, Rovers are determined to keep the pressure on Ian McCall’s pace-setters and test their resolve as the pressure of leading the pack kicks in.
Davidson continued: “We are relying on them (Ayr) to mess up now because we let ourselves down a couple of weeks ago with the defeats against Ayr and Forfar but those are gone now. There’s nothing we can do about games in the past, we just need to stay positive.
“It’s been a bit back-and-forth and we’ve both had spells where we’ve been at the top – games cancelled or whatever – but they are up there now and hopefully they might feel the pressure and drop points. Time will tell.
“I always thought it was going to be tight until the end of the season and it does look like that’s going to be the case.”
Rovers boss Smith, meanwhile, is sweating over the fitness of striker Willis Furtado after he limped out of the victory against East Fife after just 22 minutes.
Furtado, who has bagged three goals since joining the club in January, was struggling with a slight calf knock prior to kick-off but was deemed fit enough to start the encounter, only to break down during the early exchanges.
Rovers’ medical staff will now assess his fitness ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Albion Rovers but he is a major doubt.
Smith confirmed: “He felt tight in the warm-up but thought he’d be able to get through the game, but unfortunately he didn’t. We will see how he is later in the week and take it from there.”