Raith can still hunt down United in title race, insists Dick

LIAM Dick has backed Raith Rovers to shake off the disappointment of their title showdown and be ready to take advantage of any Dundee United slip-ups.

The Stark’s Park side are four points behind at the top of the Championship after losing at Tannadice last weekend.

They still have a game in hand, against Airdrie on Tuesday, but know they need favours from elsewhere if they are to pull off a shock title triumph.

Dick, 28, is certain there will be no hangover today as they prepare to host Ayr United seeking to keep up the pressure on their rivals.

With United facing a tricky trip against Queen’s

Park at Hampden, Dick said: “This season, the times we’ve been beaten or had a poor result, we’ve responded really well.

“We had that wee spell around about Christmas time, after we beat Dundee United up there, where we went on a bad run.

“But outside of that we’ve responded quite well.

“It’s a good group and we know there’s still plenty of football left to play.

“Everybody says it, but it’s really tough in this league and teams are all battling for something.

“I’m not saying they will or they won’t, but Dundee United have still got plenty of games to go and they could drop points.”

He added: “Further down the line, if it does end up being the play-offs, we need to make sure we’re in good form and not dipping.”

Raith had kept three consecutive clean sheets – and four in five games – before the 2-0 loss to United.

“Before that we had been solid and had got a couple of good results,” said the left-back, who has put thoughts of a new deal on hold.

“It’ll need to be the same in the coming weeks, the same work-rate. But we don’t want to lose that attacking flair.

“We’ve got players at the top end of the pitch who can turn it on and win us a game.”