The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Connolly hails boss McGlynn for getting career back on track
Aidan Connolly admits he is indebted to Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn for helping to get career back on track.
The playmaker picked up the manager and players’ player of the year awards at the club earlier this week having shone since joining from Falkirk last summer
The 26-year-old is delighted he has been able to start paying back McGlynn following an injury-ravaged 2020-21 campaign at the Bairns that restricted him to only five League One outings.
It has been a different story this season, with the former Dundee United playmaker appearing 45 times – scoring nine times.
Even though Raith look set to miss out on the Championship playoffs ahead of tonight’s final league game at home to Kilmarnock, Connolly admits he can be happy on a personal level.
Connolly said: “The awards do was a good night. It’s good to have your team-mates vote for you. The players’ one is a big one because you always want to be recognised by your teammates for doing well but you can’t do it without them. It’s a good dressing room.
“It’s been good personally, I’ve been fit the whole season and I’ve played most of the games.
“The manager took a chance on me last year considering I had been injured and it’s thanks to him for doing that because not many managers would have done that at that point.
“He has been brilliant for me, before I came here I always wanted to play under him, he wants to play football and from what I heard he’s really intelligent.
“Once I came in he’s so organised and knows a lot about football.
“He’s one of the better managers in the lower leagues and I think a lot of people come to Raith because of him.”
Connolly was beset by a series of niggling problems last season but admits he now pays more attention to injury prevention.
He added: “I think that’s the key, maintaining fitness and looking after your body as much as you can and finding a way to stay fit.
“Most days I do pre-hab before training so I think that has helped a lot, I only started doing it in the last two years or so.
“I had a few injuries at Falkirk with my quad and my hamstring and I struggled to get back from it. Touch wood everything has been good this year.”
Raith are three points behind fourth-place Partick Thistle, whose goal difference is also better off by eight, ahead of tonight’s final league game.
A run of only one victory in 16 matches from December put a severe dent in Raith’s promotion hopes.
Connolly said: “The second half of the season has been frustrating, I don’t think anyone expected that considering how good we were in the first half.
“It’s tough to take but it’s a good changing room, we’ve had a few injuries which have not helped us too but hopefully we can keep most of the boys for next season.”