Football Season Guide

Raith Rovers were left sorely disappointed as they failed to claim promotion to the Championship last season. That was their clear aim and it will be once again this time around. Manager Barry Smith, who can consider himself somewhat fortunate to have kept hold of his job following last term’s failure, has remodelled his squad rather, allowing a raft of players to depart. Almost half of last season’s starting players have gone, including Willis Furtado and Bobby Barr, who were regular in the offensive line, and goalkeeper Aaron Lennox, who has been signed by Partick Thistle. In response, they have recruited well on the face of things. Chris Duggan has arrived from East Fife and should be a very dangerous threat in attack with his physicality, although fitness issues still surround him, while Liam Buchanan remains a dangerous player. In the midfield, meanwhile, there have been significant alterations with the retirement of Scott Robertson. Nat Wedderburn will be the primary holding player alongside Grant Gillespie. The defence, which was a strong area of the team, goes largely untouched while in goal Robbie Thomson will start. Raith are going into the season a little short in certain areas of the field, most notably out wide in the midfield and defence. They should be solid through the middle but last season they struggled to settle on an effective formation and with Smith in charge once again, that remains a concern. Lewis Vaughan was relied upon overly for his creative talents last term, and the way things are shaping up, he is again set to be used in a position out wide, where he is not at his most effective. Raith might have a strong squad on paper, but they go into the season with unresolved weaknesses, not least those coming from the dugout.