Lewis Vaughan insists he has signed a new contract at Raith Rovers because he wants to play in the Premiership.
The 28-year-old penned a two-year extension on Tuesday to commit himself to the Stark’s Park outfit until June 2026.
It will keep him at his only senior club into a 15th season.
He has witnessed plenty of ups and downs in that time in Kirkcaldy.
From relegation and promotion to the nightmare of four ACL operations and the thrill of the comebacks, he has seen it all.
And he is convinced there are more highs on the horizon as he sets his sights on playing top-flight football.
Ian Murray’s side currently sit second in the Championship table on goal difference behind Dundee United, who have a game in hand.
He said: “The club’s going on the right trajectory and, for me, it was a straight-forward decision, to be honest.
“I want to be in the Premiership and the club wants to be in the Premiership.
‘A right chance’
“So, the feelings there were mutual. I’ve been at the club a long time and it was an easy decision to sign for another two years.
“We’re joint top of the Championship just now.
“There’s still a long way to go, don’t get me wrong, but we’ve given ourselves an opportunity with how we’ve done in the first half of the season.
“We’ve now got a right chance in the second half of the season and we’ll see what happens.”
He added: “We’re certainly going about our business the right way. We’ve hit a bit of a sticky patch recently but that’s football.
“I’m confident that the squad we’ve got is good enough to play in the Premiership and that is the target.
“I want to play in the top league and if I didn’t think the club was capable of doing that, or if I thought the club was happy where they are, then I wouldn’t have signed it.
“That speaks volumes for how confident I am that we can get there, whether that’s this season or next season or at some point in the future.”
Vaughan is currently the leading scorer for Raith and top of the charts in the Championship along with Queen’s Park’s Ruari Paton and Brian Graham of Partick Thistle.
He has netted some vitally important goals in his 13 for the campaign in all competitions.
‘A crazy game’
Entering the final few months of his previous deal, the fans’ favourite might have been tempted to run down his contract and see what alternative offers transpired.
However, he is adamant he was always happy to stay.
He added: “I’ve probably seen more in my time at Raith than most players do in their careers.
“But football’s a crazy game and it’s something you just learn to deal with and take in your stride.
“I’ve had to get used to the ups and downs. But the ups outweigh the downs and I’m excited to see what the future holds for myself and the club.
“For me, it’s just about staying fit and playing games and scoring goals, and hopefully taking us to the next level.”
