Resilient, courageous, determined and character were just some of the remarks used this week to describe Lewis Vaughan.
Ahead of the popular attacker’s testimonial against Hibernian on Wednesday night, Raith Rovers colleagues and former team-mates were asked to sum up Vaughan in one word.
Understandably, many fixed on the 28-year-old’s remarkable and successful battles to recover from four separate anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ruptures.
One is often enough to prematurely end a player’s career, but Vaughan has definitely displayed incredible resilience, courage, determination and character to make his comeback each time.
Stubborn and inspiring were other terms hung on the firm fans’ favourite given that luckless injury backstory.
Although it is difficult to overlook those knee problems when reviewing Vaughan’s 12 years as a Rovers player, they only serve to strengthen the bond he has built up at Stark’s Park over the years.
To see the former Raith management team of John McGlynn and Paul Smith in attendance on Wednesday night and Regan Hendry, who had driven up from Merseyside for the occasion, was just an indication of Vaughan’s place in people’s affections.
The fact the likes of David Marshall, Martin Boyle, Joe Newell and Jordan Obita lined up in the guard of honour before the match, despite not playing for Hibs on the night, was also a nice touch.
“I’m delighted with how it went,” said Vaughan of his testimonial. “The fans turned out in their numbers and the Hibs fans came across the bridge as well. It was an amazing night.
Vaughan: ‘A dream come true’
“I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It was a dream come true to be awarded with a testimonial.
“It was a bit emotional. I used to watch players like Lewis Stevenson and Paul Hanlon at Easter Road and I can’t thank Hibs enough.
“And I was blown away by all the messages of support I got. It’s massively appreciated.”
Despite it being prominent in his narrative, Vaughan’s place as a Rovers hero is not down to his repeated knee trouble and his stubbornness in the face of adversity.
It is down to his skills with the ball at his feet, his eye for a killer pass, his ability to find pockets of space and knowing the way to the back of the net.
It is because of his 246 appearances for the club and his 86 goals to date – including that Scottish Cup hat-trick against Dunfermline – and his 13 seasons as a first-team player.
He may have been a boyhood Hibs supporter, but the Raith fans have every reason to see him as ‘one of our own’.
It is those performances over the years that elicited more words of praise this week from team-mates past and present: Wizard, baller, hero, leader.
Manager Ian Murray claimed ‘if anyone on this planet deserves a testimonial it is Lewis’ and there were many grounds for that sentiment.
Loyalty and commitment
These benefit matches are rarer than they used to be; players just do not stay as long at clubs in the modern era.
However, when they do, they deserve to be celebrated and thanked – for their loyalty, for their commitment, for the memories.
The other word that was used to describe Vaughan was respect, and it was definitely a feeling clearly in evidence at Stark’s Park on Wednesday night.
“It was Lewis’ night, it was fantastic,” said Murray. “It was a great turnout from the supporters and it shows how highly regarded he is not just within Raith Rovers Football Club but in the town and the community of Kirkcaldy.
“When you see guys coming back like John [McGlynn] and Paul Smith and Regan Hendry, and all the messages on social media, that’s what it’s all about.
“You make connections with people in any walk of life and the respect they have for Lewis is not just about being a football player, it’s more about him as a human being.
“Inside football, there’s a lot of respect for all players, at every level, for what they have achieved, and Lewis is a special case in that.”
