Mcglynn thrilled to see Rovers’ full-time return

John Mcglynn insists Raith Rovers had to go completely full-time next season after losing out on signing targets last summer because of the club’s hybrid set-up.

The Stark’s Park side have run with a mix of part-time and full-time players for the last two campaigns after struggling financially since relegation to League One in 2017.

It meant training sessions being scheduled on a Tuesday and Thursday evening to accommodate the part-time squad members.

But Mcglynn has revealed that proved a barrier to recruitment and he is thrilled directors have backed the return to a wholly full-time set-up next term.

He said: “For the football club to go forward in the Championship, this is a step that has to be done.

“In League One, financially, you can understand why you would have a hybrid. But when you go into the Championship, and you’re trying to attract good, young players, who have maybe not broken through at a top Premiership club, then you really need to be full-time.

“We found we lost out on a couple of players last summer because they didn’t want to train on a Tuesday and Thursday night, and that type of thing.

“In League One, a lot of players are part-time players and they’re quite happy to have their day job, earning X amount of money and getting a decent part-time wage.

“But the younger ones we might get with the potential to kick on, they want to be part of a completely fulltime operation.

“We’ve worked both and it really doesn’t matter to me, but when it matters to me is when I can’t attract players because something is letting us down.

“I have to make sure I’m getting the best players here and to do that I feel we need to be full-time.

“The club has backed us with regards to that, while we’re in the Championship or above, but if in years to come the club slips down again then no doubt they would probably go back to a hybrid.”

Other than long-term absentee Dave Mckay, who this week penned a new one-year deal, Raith would have had a full squad for the now-postponed derby with Dunfermline.

The Fife rivals were due to meet at Stark’s Park but Dunfermline have told the SPFL they have a number of players self-isolating after a positive Covid test.

Attacker Lewis Vaughan is back in training following thigh problems, on-loan Fulham striker Timmy Abraham has recovered from illness and full-back Reghan Tumilty is fit after being replaced late on in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Alloa.

John Mcglynn.