Rovers skipper looking to start year on high with victory over Fife rivals

Kyle Benedictus insists the highs of a Fife derby victory would be the perfect way for Raith Rovers to bring in the new year after they ended 2020 on a low.

The Stark’s Park outfit finally clinched promotion back to the Championship last year and have been impressive since returning to the second tier.

But they turned in their worst performance in a l o n g t i m e i n Tu e s d ay night’s 2-0 defeat at home to Queen of the South.

Manager John Mcglynn made his squad sit through a video nasty re- run of a loss that was far from the ideal preparation for the trip to face Dunfermline.

But skipper Benedictus is confident the Kirkcaldy side can avoid any hangover and toast the arrival of 2021 with victory.

He said: “Obviously we were disappointed with Tuesday’s performance, it’s not been like us this season.

“We’ve played well in every game, so Tuesday was a big disappointment.

“We were looking to get three points and finish the year on a high, because it’s been a good year. But that didn’t happen.

“But there’s no bigger game than Dunfermline for us this season, so it’s a g r e a t c h a n c e f o r t h e boys to bounce straight back.”

Raith sit fourth in the Championship as they head for East End Park having only suffered two defeats in the opening third of the campaign.

With last month’s derby having finished 2-2 after Rovers took a two- goal lead, Benedictus added: “We’ ll still go into this game with confidence because it’s been a good start to the season.”