Ian Murray has warned his players will need to be ready for Cove Rangers firing out of the blocks as their Scottish Championship season kicks off this weekend.
The Aberdeen side pipped Murray’s old side to the League 1 title last season after a storming unbeaten run.
Airdrie went on a ruthless streak of their own but fell short – and again in the play-offs.
Now at Stark’s Park, Murray is preparing to face off against last season’s rival once again.
He will do so with new reinforcements available after three signings in the last two days.
Unbeaten runs
Cove have undergone changes of their own, with Paul Hartley leaving for Hartlepool and replaced in the dugout by Jim McIntyre.
“We went 20 matches unbeaten at Airdrie and they still won the league,” said Murray. “So it shows you their quality.
“They’ll been getting presented with the flag for that success so we need to be ready mentally and physically for the game ahead.
“We need to be prepared for a frantic opening to the game.
“They’re used to winning – I think it was about 24 games undefeated last season.”
Full-back caught the eye playing for Cove
The Raith boss spoke of his long admiration for new signing Kieran Ngwenya – who was on loan at Saturday’s opponents two seasons ago.
The deal had been agreed verbally weeks ago but the Dons were waiting until the completion of the Premier Sports Cup groups.
“He’s been involved in their first team this season and now they’ve strengthened their squad which meant that Kieran became available,” added Murray.
“He’s someone that impressed me when he was on loan at Cove Rangers.
“We felt he had a lot of energy and a real handful because of his size – and we want players who are hungry for game time.”
In a busy 24 hours for the Rovers, Courier Sport broke the news earlier on Friday that Kyle Connell would be joining on loan from Kilmarnock.
On Thursday night Raith handed a permanent deal to defender Ryan Nolan.
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