Keith Watson will step up his Raith Rovers comeback on Tuesday as he bids to complete his return after almost four months out.
The former Dundee United and Ross County defender is due to play in a bounce game against Dundee after returning to training.
The 34-year-old underwent a knee operation earlier in the season and has been inching back to fitness in recent weeks.
A niggling calf injury has set back his return date.
However, the experienced summer signing could now be included in the squad for Saturday’s Scottish Cup encounter with Livingston if he emerges from the coming days unscathed.
Manager Ian Murray said: “Keith trained on Monday.
“So, hopefully he’ll come through this week and then that will be him back.
“He was operated on and then last week it was just a wee bit of tightness in his calf, which you can expect when he’s coming back.
“We’re just hopeful he comes through this week okay.
Ready
“We play Dundee in a bounce game on Tuesday so we’ll get him a few minutes in that and then we’ll get him ready.”
Watson has been sidelined since limping off just 15 minutes into the 1-0 defeat to Airdrie in September.
The decision had been made to try to play through pain in his knee but surgery was eventually required.
Murray added: “He’s been really unlucky. He picked up an injury and then we played him against Airdrie hoping he would be okay.
“That didn’t do him any harm, the injury was there.
“It was a tiny operation in the grand scheme of things. It might have needed done and it might not have, so we tried to see how it went.
“We probably lost a couple of weeks doing that but we made that decision collectively.
“But in the long-run he did need that wee clean-up and his knee’s been really good since, which is great.
“He’s just one of those guys who wants to play, he wants to give his all. He’s old-school in that way and he wanted to play through it.
Pairing
“But it will be great to have him back.
“Him and Euan [Murray] were forming a really good defensive pairing until they picked up a few niggles.”
Meanwhile, Kevin Dabrowski is also stepping up his bid for fitness this week after missing the last two games with a thigh injury.
The former Hibernian keeper played through the pain barrier in the Fife derby win over Dunfermline but has been replaced by Andy McNeil for the defeats against Airdrie and Queen’s Park.
Murray, who reported namesake Euan will be assessed this week for a groin issue, added: “Kevin’s doing well, he’s just getting over that last wee bit.
“He did some work on Monday and I’m pretty sure he’ll train from Tuesday, which is great.
“He was probably 80, 85 per cent fit at the weekend, so we just left him.
“If Kevin comes through this week he’ll play. He’s our number one goalie.
“But if doesn’t then it’s fine. Andy [McNeil] has shown in the last couple of weeks that the loan move at Edinburgh City has done him the world of good.
“I’ve been really happy with him and he’s been very unfortunate that he’s been on the losing team two weeks in a row.”
