FEELING THAT FEAR FACTOR
Raith look to exploit home fan insecurity
FORMERLY one of their number, a member of the Hibs squad relegated and then kept down via this popular play-off mechanism, Scott Robertson knows that his opinions on today’s visit to Easter Road carry some weight. And not just among his team-mates at Raith Rovers.
So, asked if he ever sensed something in the infamous Hibernian reputation for ‘bottling it’ when big games came around, the experienced midfielder paused to make sure he picked the right words, before declaring: ‘Originally, no. When I first joined the club I didn’t sense that.
‘Then obviously with the relegation, there were stories about them bottling big games — and the results that followed sort of backed that up.
‘Last season, I didn’t think that was the case. There were games that Hibs should have won. In the (Scottish Cup) semi-final against Falkirk, they had enough chances to win. They should have won, but they didn’t.
‘If you don’t score goals you can’t win games. It was the same against us on Wednesday night. They had enough shots at goal to win. But they didn’t. And we’re in a good position now. We fancy ourselves going into this tie.’
That Raith travel with some confidence is partly down to their performance in a 1-0 first leg win in midweek, partly because they know — heck, everyone in Scottish football knows — that Easter Road can be a jittery place when the stakes are high.
Robertson (right), who played in the humiliating play-off collapse at home to Hamilton two years ago, the home side blowing a 2-0 lead from the away leg at New Douglas Park and eventually going out on penalties, is aware of the Hibs’ fans reputations for turning quicker than the late Johan Cruyff.
‘I sensed that when I was there in the first place,’ he said, with a nod to the downward spiral that preceded being dragged into the play-offs, ‘but last season it seemed to dissipate. I don’t think it was really the case last season when I was there. I haven’t experienced it this season, so I don’t know if the fans have changed their mentality.
‘But we’d like to think that, if we can keep it at 0-0 or even get another goal, then the fans will show their frustration.
‘The fans are just desperate to get back into the Premiership — and their desperation maybe translates to the players. Maybe they just don’t perform to the level they know they are capable of.
‘It’s all about results at this time of the season. They can play good football and have loads of chances but if you don’t win games …
‘In the first leg, Hibs probably had a lot more shots at goal than we did, but we won the game 1-0. We’ll take a similar sort of performance and result on Saturday.’
Recalling the play-off loss to Accies, he added: ‘The game plan that day against Hamilton was to not lose an early goal … and we lost an early goal. So that went out the window! ‘I remember playing in the first leg. I hit the post myself. I think 3-0 might have been a little bit more insurmountable. But 2-0 wasn’t a real reflection of how the game was played. Hamilton dominated until Jason Cummings scored. ‘We were lucky to still be at 0-0 at that time, so we weren’t going into that second leg thinking: “Job done” at all. We just thought it was half-time. ‘With Raith Rovers this time, we’re thinking to ourselves that we can go there and cause them problems. It’s not going to be easy but I definitely think we’ve got good enough players to go there and score.
‘The manager’s just ingraining in everybody that, as soon as we set foot on the pitch, we are more than capable of beating any team we are up against.’
‘Those collective attributes are one of the reasons why manager Ray McKinnon is being pursued by Dundee United, Robertson admitting: ‘I’m not surprised he’s being linked with the Dundee United job.
‘He’s just won his second Manager of the Month award in a row and has managed to bring really good players to a club like Raith Rovers. He’s got us into the position we’re in and we’re proving we’re more than capable of playing against the top teams.
‘He’s got a little bit of everything. He knows when to speak calmly to players and when to lose the rag, and he’s tactically astute. I hope he stays with Raith Rovers but there’s big speculation surrounding his future and I’m sure that will be decided after the play-offs.
‘He has proved he’s more than capable of getting results in the Championship, which is where Dundee United will be next season. If you’re looking for anyone who knows this league, and can win games in this league, then I’m assuming he’s top of that list.’
If Raith are to progress, they surely cannot rely on Hibs striker Cummings continuing to miss chances. Two sitters in his last two visits to Kirkcaldy are bound to have whetted his appetite.
Robertson, recalling the kid who burst on to the scene during the relegation season at Easter Road, said: ‘I remember when he first came up to the first-team squad and you knew straight away he had something.
‘I remember thinking he was a foreigner with his hair and tan! He didn’t care much for reputations and tried to nutmeg senior players and chip the goalkeeper. You stood up and took notice of him.’
“We’re now in a good position to win this tie”