Murray’s message for Rovers is: ‘calm’

EUAN Murray’s message to Raith Rovers is simply to keep calm and carry on in their topsy-turvy title race with Dundee United.

The Stark’s Park men failed to make the most of United’s slip-up against Dunfermline as they were held by Queen’s Park in a Hampden stalemate.

There was undoubtedly some frustration in the Kirkcaldy ranks, knowing that victory would have sent them two points clear at the top of the Championship.

But manager Ian Murray was full of praise for his side as they made it seven points from a possible nine in the space of a week.

With two of those games away from home, a hat-trick of clean sheets gave the Rovers boss reason for optimism.

And defender Murray knows from winning the Championship with Kilmarnock two seasons ago that the run-in was never going to be plain sailing.

The 30-year-old said: “We just need to put United on the back burner and concentrate on ourselves. Obviously we knew coming into the game that if we won we’d go top. But, in the grand scheme of things, it’s seven points out of nine.

“We need to remember where we are as a football club and who we are. We’ve got no divine right to go and beat anyone.

“I thought we gave it everything against Queen’s Park. We couldn’t have done any more and their keeper’s had a couple of really good saves, and they didn’t really trouble us at the other end. All in all, frustrated but we go again.

“It’s just about calm heads. It’s about not getting too high when you win games and not getting too low when you get days like Saturday, when it doesn’t quite fall for you.

“So we regroup and go again. It’s been a decent week, we’ve got back to being solid like at the start of the season.

“There are positives to take and we’ll pick the bones out of where we can brush up on.”

Murray, who headed in the winner in last Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Partick Thistle, helped Raith keep Queen’s Park at bay for most of another hard-fought 90 minutes.

And they just could not find a way past the home rearguard at the other end.

The visitors ramped up the pressure as time ticked away and former Dundee keeper Calum Ferrie pulled off two magnificent saves in the closing stages.

First, he denied substitute Scott McGill with a strong right hand and then the 25-year-old clawed away a brilliant flick from Sam Stanton that was heading for the top corner.

He also batted away a Dylan Easton curler and diverted a Lewis Vaughan effort away from goal with his legs during a strong Rovers display after the break.

Given the Stark’s Park outfit do not play next weekend, the initiative now passes to United.

But, with Raith’s next game coming against the Tangerines on March 30, Murray believes there is plenty of life left in the title race.

He said: “All we can do is try to push Dundee United for as long as we can and hopefully it gets to the last couple of games.

“We know the pressure will be majorly on them if it does come down to the last couple of games.

“That’s what we’ve got to strive for. We’re making good progress but we can’t look any further than the next game.

“Of course that’s going to be a big one and they are a really good side, we’ve never shied away from that.

“But, going back to when I won it at Kilmarnock, if you want to win a league you need to take care of business in big games.

“That’ll be such a big game for us to go and enjoy, and hopefully come away with three points.

“But we’ll certainly go into it in decent form. We’ve produced in big games this season.

“We need to get that positive mindframe going forward.

“And if we can keep playing the way we are, keep knocking at the door, then the ball will fall for us, hopefully, and we can get over the line.”

Euan Murray has been over the course before with Kilmarnock.