Raith dealt a blow as broken arm rules Wilson out for season

Published on Wednesday 10 March 2010 22:23

DEVASTATED Raith Rovers defender Craig Wilson has seen his Scottish Cup injury jinx strike again as he prepares for surgery on his shattered broken arm.

The 23-year-old was looking forward to the club's quarter-final tie at First Division rivals Dundee on Saturday. But Wilson lasted only 16 minutes of Tuesday's 2-1 league victory over Ross County before an accidental collision left his arm broken and put an end to his season. Wilson was desperate to help the Stark's Park side progress further after his cup heartache with Dunfermline. The right-back was a youthful member of the Pars team which reached the CIS Cup final in 2006, but after playing in the quarter-final and semi-final wins he was ruled out of the 3-0 Hampden defeat to Celtic due to a broken toe sustained in training.

Manager McGlynn, who already had defensive problems with Mark Campbell ruled out following his car crash and Dougie Hill doubtful, said: "Craig has broken his arm, it's a very, very bad break, it's shattered. He's going to have an operation to insert a plate in it so his season is over, which is a massive blow for the boy and the team. I think he has missed just one game in over three years for us. It was probably going to be the biggest game of his career which he is now going to miss out on. It's a real, cruel blow."

McGlynn, meanwhile, feels the cup run has helped repair the club's image after the wretched days under Claude Anelka's leadership just five years ago. The 'Reclaim the Rovers' fans' campaign helped secure the club's future before McGlynn arrived from Hearts in 2006 to enjoy notable success.

He added: "There is a buzz about Kirkcaldy and people are well up for this game. Relationships are a lot better than what they may have been. Certainly, the feel-good factor is in the town. There was a foreign contingent in here that maybe didn't have any real plans to be part of the community. Most of the people on the board now are local people. The chairman (David Somerville) has come in, having worked in the local council knowing a lot of contacts there, and obviously our Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, being a Raith Rovers fan helps."

McGlynn looks back with a smile and added: "I came in here and one of the first things I started to do was clean the dressing rooms! It was my first Monday morning, the only person in the building, and I'm thinking 'the place is a tip'. You have to respect the place you are working in."