Raith Rovers manager Ian Murray revealed that he was giving
man-of-the-match Dylan Easton a “hard time” from the sidelines before he scored a bicycle kick.
Easton captained the side to a 6-0 win over Peterhead in their opening game in the Premier Sports Cup.
A double from the playmaker – who claimed a hattrick though one was recorded as an own goal – along with goals from Liam Dick, Jamie Gullan and Aidan Connolly saw Rovers ease to victory.
It was Easton’s day though. Regardless of his goals he was a constant menace to Peterhead, turning and zipping past their midfielders before linking with teammates.
Positives outweigh negatives
“He was frustrating me the first 15 minutes and I was giving him a wee bit of a hard time on the sidelines,” said Murray.
“Then he pops up with that overhead kick. That’s what Dylan gives you.
“Dylan can frustrate you at times but he is one of those players who can do things other players can’t.
I’ve never attempted that my whole career, and I wouldn’t because I know I couldn’t do it!
“Dylan is just exciting, he’s an exciting player. Yes he’s going to lose the ball at times, yes there are things he can work on, but his positives far outweigh the negatives.”
Rotating captaincy
Easton led the side out, becoming the fifth captain in five matches.
Gullan had captained the side in the previous match versus Alloa, scoring twice in the final preseason friendly.
Murray explained that he wants to have as many leaders as possible on the pitch.
“We’ve passed the captaincy around since the opening game,” said the manager. “That’s our fifth game. it’s our fifth captain.
“It’s purely to give people the experience of being a captain.
“We’ve not picked one yet, we will eventually.
“The captaincy is great but we are looking for guys out there – with or without the armband – to be leaders in the team.
The Rovers boss likes to forge a strong bond with his side and said there are still a few players in line to have their turn.
“Captains need help as well,” he added. “Just because they are captain doesn’t mean they don’t need help.
“They may have a bad day or they might be off form.
“So the more guys we get out there that can lead, the better.
“It was Dylan’s chance tonight and he responded, as [Gullan] did against Alloa on Saturday.”
3 talking points from Raith Rovers v Peterhead in the Premier Sports Cup
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