As Raith Rovers captain, he has tried to steer his team-mates through some testing times away from football in recent days.
Now, Kyle Benedictus will attempt to help the Stark’s Park side navigate a massive challenge on the pitch as they prepare to face in-form Celtic in the Scottish Cup.
Benedictus joined manager John McGlynn in facing difficult questions regarding the controversial signing of David Goodwillie, ruled to be a rapist by a civil court judge in 2017.
The fallout continues to haunt the embattled Kirkcaldy outfit, who have since apologised for their ‘mistake’ and confirmed that Goodwillie will not play for the club.
Benedictus endured criticism after stating the Raith players would give their backing to Goodwillie, albeit those were the words of an employee asked about a new colleague after the Rovers hierarchy had initially doubled down on the divisive signing.
However, the 30-year-old has praised fans for the support they have shown the team and he hopes a trip to Parkhead can help refocus minds after the turmoil of the past 12 days.
“We have [had] support throughout the last week at the games,” said Benedictus. “That’s all we can ask. We will give our best on the pitch every time we step on it.
“As players, we have tried to be as professional as we can. We are preparing for each game and Sunday will be no different.
“It’s something to look forward to. It will be an enjoyable occasion and we will go there and try and give it our all.”
‘Stick together’
Asked how, as captain, he can ensure the Goodwillie episode does not have an impact on the players, Benedictus added: “We just stick together and work as hard as we can.
“We have this game coming up. Personally, I don’t think you can play at a better venue and it’s something to look forward to.
“We try and put things to the back of our minds and go and give our all.”
Celtic test
Raith have already been to the east end of Glasgow this season in the League Cup in a quarter-final that resulted in a 3-0 defeat that could have got even worse after Dario Zanatta’s second-half red card.
The Championship hopefuls had their moments and provided stiffer opposition than some top-flight teams. However, it is generally accepted that Celtic are a much-improved outfit following some impressive January recruitment.
Benedictus added: “We all know how difficult the task is going to be. The signings they made in January made their team better and they’re scoring goals for fun.
“They’re the in-form team in Scotland just now and beating everybody.
“But we need to go with a game-plan, stick with it, prepare properly and give it our best shot.”
