SPFL Championship
RAITH ROVERS v HIBERNIAN Danny Handling has paid tribute to “inspirational” Alan Stubbs after his manager doubled up as his gym buddy to help him navigate nine months of injury.
The 22-year-old feared his season was over before it had begun when he suffered cruciate knee ligament damage in a friendly against Berwick Rangers in July, recalling the horrific “pop” as he crumpled to the Shielfield Park turf.
He required two operations to repair the damage, as well as countless hour on exercise bikes and in the swimming pool during a tortuous recovery.
Nevertheless, Handling says Stubbs was there every step of the way and has ensured he has returned stronger than ever.
He said: “It’s been a long road. It would have been shorter but I needed a second operation on my cruciate. That kind of set me back. Every day was a challenge in itself doing gym work and it was tough.
“The manager was great with me. He was in every day doing the rehab. He gave me the incentive to keep going as he was always watching me and he was inspirational on a daily basis.
“It was good for me and my positive frame of mind. If the manager is interested in what you are doing then you always have something to aspire to. It speaks volumes for the manager that he went through that.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Cuthbert is excited by the prospect of another play-off push but says Raith Rovers cannot afford to look beyond this evening’s match against Hibs.
The goalkeeper helped Hamilton win promotion to the Premiership – and relegate Hibs – in a dramatic play-off final in 2014. The 33-year-old produced pivotal saves from Kevin Thomson and Jason Cummings in the penalty shoot-out after Accies had recovered from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to win by the same score at Easter Road.
Should Rovers manage to hang on to fourth, Cuthbert insists anything could happen in the ‘carnage’ of the play-offs.
“I think when I was at Hamilton and going for the league, it was sometimes a case of, ‘What are Falkirk doing? What are Dundee doing? The most important thing is that we go out and do our jobs against Hibs.”