Raith have been dealt a big blow with the news that skipper Jason Thomson will miss the next two games at least.
The influential defender, who sat out last week’s defeat at Queen of the South, was sent for a scan on his injured knee on Tuesday.
The results are inconclusive and Thomson will be sent to see a specialist but Stark’s Park boss Gary Locke is already resigned to being without his captain for tomorrow’s game against Dumbarton and the following match at Morton.
The manager said: “We’ve lost Jason Thomson, which is a blow. He got a scan the other day there and it’s just a case of waiting to see what the surgeon says.
“He’s going to miss the next couple of games, I think, so that’s a blow for us.
“It’s difficult to tell just now. The scans are telling us there might be a bit of tendonitis in his knee but it could be one or two other things.
“So, once he sees the specialist, we’ll have a better idea.
“But at the moment, everybody’s second guessing what it might be. It could be one of three things, so we’re just waiting on word.
“It’s a big blow for us, because he’s the captain and you can see how important he is to the team when he’s not playing.
“He’s an organiser and, to be fair, in the modern day those players are few and far between. The younger players, for me, don’t seem to be as outspoken as what we were when we were younger.
“It’s not ideal but we’ve got to get on with it.”
With Thomson missing, midfielder Ross Matthews may have to deputise again in place of his right-back skipper and Locke admitted it is a position they will look at strengthening in the January window.
He said: “We’ve not got a lot of cover. With the way the budget was, we had to strengthen in the forward areas.
“So, we’ve not got a lot of cover at the back if anything happens, especially the full-backs.
“But there are a couple of lads who can play there and they’ll just have to play there for the next couple of games until Jason’s fit again.
“Ross Matthews has played there a couple of times and there are one or two others who could play there if needs must.
“So, that’s just what we have to do and then hopefully come January, if we can free up some money somewhere, then it is an area of the team we have to strengthen.
“The chairman won’t be overly-enamoured with me saying that! But it’s just the way we are at the moment – all the budget’s spent and we have to get on with what we’ve got.”
Locke and his players are obviously still licking their wounds having lost their last two league games.
The manager is now determined his side will get back on track tomorrow afternoon but he acknowledged that they can take nothing for granted against the part-timers of Dumbarton.
He added: “You’re not going to win every game in this league. We’ve lost our last two but we’ve lost to good teams. Queen of the South and Falkirk are good sides and you have no divine right to beat any team in this league.
“There is nothing between any of the teams. It’s about who has that wee bit of luck on the day and who gets the first goal because I think that’s really important in this league.
“It’s a great league and it’s going to be really competitive. We’ve managed to win a few games and we’ve beaten in a couple but anyone on their day is capable of beating anyone else.
“Dumbarton have held their own for a couple of years in this league and they’ve got a lot quality.
“There are no easy games at all. You’ve got to be at it in every single game and if you’re not, you’ll get beat.
“We know how difficult it’s going to be and we need to make sure we respond, because we’ve been disappointed with the last two league games.
“But we’re still third in the table and Hibs play Queen of the South. We know it’s going to be a difficult game but if we can get a win then we’ll put ourselves right back up there.”
Keeper Kevin Cuthbert is back in contention for the Dumbarton game but Scott Robertson and Craig Barr will still be missing after groin ops.
