Raith players eager to do their best for Cuthbert

Benedictus backs stand-in boss to take over permanently

Kyle Benedictus insists the Raith Rovers players are desperate to do all they can to give Kevin Cuthbert the best shot of becoming the manager on a permanent basis.

Cuthbert was put in charge temporarily following last week’s shock resignation of Barry Smith.

The Stark’s Park board are in the process of considering applications from a wide range of candidates, including the likes of Barry Robson, Lee Clark, Massimo Donati and Nacho Novo, and are expected to hold interviews after devising a shortlist at a board meeting on Monday night.

Cuthbert, who was Smith’s assistant, is thought to be keen on the job but could not have endured a worse start last weekend as Rovers shipped five goals in the first half in their 5-0 defeat to Ross County in the Irn-Bru Cup.

However, skipper Benedictus is adamant the Kirkcaldy players have been impressed with the way “Cat” has stepped into the role and would love him to remain in charge in the long term.

He said: “We were disappointed to lose Barry because someone said he had the best win ratio in the last 20 years or so. But we need to move on.

“Cat is in the job just now and he’s doing really well. He’s brought his own style to training and he’s got us working hard. All the boys want to do really well for him.

“We all know what he’s like as a person but I think he’s got a right good chance of being a good coach. I’ve worked with a few managers in the past but you can see how focused he is and he knows so much about the game.

“If we work hard for him on Saturday and get him results then hopefully we will give him the best shot we can to push on and get the job.”

Raith know that if they can bounce back instantly from Saturday’s horror show against County with a win away to Brechin City this afternoon, they could go top of League One.

The Fifers are undefeated in the league and have won their last two outings in the division, scoring eight goals in the process.

But Benedictus is fully aware how bad last weekend’s display against the Staggies was.

He said: “We all know last weekend wasn’t good enough, especially with it being Cat’s first game in charge.

“The boys let him down and we’ve told him that, and we’re ready to put it right.”