The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Brown relies on home comforts
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cott Brown insists Raith Rovers can use three successive home games to get their wavering season back on track.
The exasperated skipper believes Rovers were hard done by in Saturday’s defeat to leaders Ayr United, their third league loss on the bounce.
But Brown is eyeing this week’s Challenge Cup visit of Morton, followed by league games against Arbroath and Morton, as the perfect opportunity to halt their alarming slump.
He said: “Our next three games are all at home where our form has been good so we need to make sure that it stays that way.
“We fancy ourselves at home against anyone, so we need to turn this losing run into wins. The boys won the Challenge Cup last season so Saturday gives us the chance to get to the quarter-finals.”
Despite forcing six firsthalf corners to Ayr’s two, Raith trailed at the break when Josh Mullin slid home a perfect cross from Logan Chalmers.
The on-loan Livingston man then took his season’s tally to five goals when he headed a secondhalf clincher after sterling work by Dipo Akinyemi, the Championship’s top scorer, who had a rare barren day.
Brown said: “I thought we were the better team for 60 minutes but then tried to chase it late on. Ayr are top of the league for a reason and are more ruthless than us.
“I don’t think they had many chances to score but we found ourselves 2-0 down. We need to start taking our chances when we are on top.
“I don’t think we are that far away but we need to make sure that when we are on top we score.
“We haven’t been outplayed by a team this season but we’re seventh in the league and that’s something we need to look at and get better at what we are doing.”
Despite their troubling league position, Brown is adamant Rovers are not playing badly and insists they will stick to their principles and hope for a change in fortunes.
He added: “Ayr are top of the league for a reason, when you give them the respect they are good at what they do.
“We’ll stick to what we are doing and keep believing but make sure
that we are still ruthless at the same time.
“Three league defeats is a tough one, we were in third after working so hard to get there but we’ve lost three on the bounce since then. However, there is enough quality in the dressing room, we just need to keep believing in ourselves.
“We need to keep working hard, keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully it will turn for us.
“We are not too far away so it’s just frustrating. We played some decent stuff but need to take our chances when we’re on top.
“I don’t think at any point in the game we felt we were getting penned in or getting battered.
“But in football if you don’t take your chances, it’s going to come back and haunt you and that’s the way things are going for us just now.”