Jamie MacDonald has joked that Saturday’s withdrawal of Raith Rovers skipper Kyle Benedictus prompted a game of ‘pass the parcel’ with the captaincy.
But the Stark’s Park goalkeeper insists he was ‘honoured’ that the armband ultimately fell to him.
Benedictus suffered a hamstring injury in the second half of Rovers’ 1-1 draw against Inverness, with Tom Lang entering the fray and deputising manfully.
When the former Dundee defender took his leave, the armband was initially handed to Dylan Tait, who then passed it on to Christophe Berra.
The vastly experienced former Hearts skipper; a sensible choice.
However, Berra — in a classy gesture — urged MacDonald to take the captaincy due to the length of time he has been a Rovers player.
“I think it was pass the parcel,” laughed MacDonald. “Everybody was just trying to pass it to each other.
“I actually shouted, ‘give it to Christophe’ but he said, ‘no, you take it, you’ve been here longer.’
“We never really discussed what would happen if Bene [Benedictus] had to go off.
“Being one of the senior ones in the squad, it was probably going to be me or Christophe taking it. We’ve been about a bit!
“But it’s nice to get. It’s always an honour when you get that opportunity to captain a club. It’s a nice accolade.”
Know your role
Whether MacDonald retains the captaincy for this evening’s Fife derby against Dunfermline, it will not alter his mentality or demeanour.
The 35-year-old continued: “You try to play a captain’s role regardless.
“You have to keep everybody organised and talk as much as you can anyway. That’s your role.”
Rovers striker Ethon Varian also limped off with a shoulder injury and Ross Mathews was dismissed during a costly outing against the Caley Jags.
Benedictus, Varian and Matthews will all be absent for the showdown with the Pars.
“We’re already running with a light squad and it looks like it’s going to be stretched to the maximum in the next few weeks,” added MacDonald.
“But hopefully the boys who are still available will step up to the plate and produce.”
Derby day
Meanwhile, MacDonald, who was bossed by Dunfermline gaffer Peter Grant at Alloa, insists Rovers will not be fooled by the Pars’ lowly league position as they prepare for a ‘very difficult’ trip to East End Park.
Grant’s strugglers remain rooted to the foot of the Championship but have at least tightened up of late, claiming five draws from their last six outings — including a 1-1 stalemate at Stark’s Park.
“I worked under Peter Grant and they’ve probably tried to play football at the start — and it’s maybe not worked for them,” said MacDonald.
“He’s changed it up a little bit and gone a bit more defensive to try to pick up results. It’s worked. They’ve picked up a lot of draws, even if they’ve not got the wins they want.
“But they’re a good team and it’s going to be very difficult.”
