Kai confident and focussed on Friday

“I think that we have the quality in the changing room and the players that could go to Raith Rovers and win the game.”

Dunfermline’s loanee Kai Kennedy is hoping to play in the Fife Derby on Friday night and he could be the trump card having played 19 times for Raith Rovers last season and once against them when at Inverness Caley Thistle between October and December.

The on loan Ger missed Dunfermline’s last league game at home to Partick Thistle due to a “niggle” of an injury and was not available to play against his parent club last Friday. Kai returned to Rangers for treatment and help to get back to fitness but then was at Ibrox with his current team mates:-

“I was in the changing room with the Dunfermline boys.  It was always going to be a tough game and a good challenge.  I would have liked to have played but it was a good experience for the lads playing at Ibrox in a big game, we just wish that we did a lot better.”

Kai came up through the Rangers Youth Academy, making his first team debut at the age of 17 as a sub late on in the Scottish Cup tie versus Stranraer in January 2020. He has trained with many of those who inflicted defeat in the Premier Sports Cup:-

“They are top players and that is why they are at Rangers.  It is a massive club, you could see how they played last season and carried that into this season.  They are a great side and it is hard to get near them.”

The disappointment of the Rangers cup exit is behind the squad claimed Kai:-

“We know as a team on Friday that it wasn’t a good performance from us at all.  Obviously it was against a good side but we still should have done better.  We have all moved on now and focussed on Friday.  The league is the main thing, that is what we are all looking forward to and we will be ready.

“There are lessons to learn from every game, always things that you can get better and fix.  It was a learning curve for everyone.”

The 19 year old midfielder now moves on to face opponents who could also feature as his specialist subject. Maybe not the mastermind behind Peter Grant’s tactics but he predicted a tough game:-

“I enjoyed being at Raith, it was a good experience and enjoyed everyone at the club but my focus is here now so I’m just looking forward to the game on Friday and it is going to be a good game.

“I think that we have the quality in the changing room and the players that could go to Raith Rovers and win the game.”

The derby will be broadcast live on BBC Scotland and Kai is pleased that it provides a chance to show that they are a better team than the one that turned up in the previous week’s live match. The players and the manager all believe that they are a good team, this is a great chance to prove it and Kai is hoping to play:-

“I just want to go out there and play well and as a team we just want to win. I have never played in front of the fans in a Raith v Dunfermline derby and I can’t wait. It is going to be a good experience for me.  I am just hoping that it goes our way.”

With just one point from the first two league matches Kai dismissed any suggestions of fear:-

“It is not panic stations at all.  We know as a team that we have got more to prove.  We know that it has not been good enough for the last few games but I think Friday is great chance and we are ready.”

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