BY IAIN COLLIN – @CCP_sport
NEW Raith Rovers manager Gary Locke has returned to former club Kilmarnock to snap up winger Chris Johnston.
Johnston was available after being freed by the Rugby Park side last month at the end of a nightmare season for the 21-year-old.
The former Scotland under-19 internationalist sustained a cruciate knee ligament injury in the 4-0 defeat to Dundee on August 1 and missed the rest of the campaign as he battled back to fitness.
With a few under-20s matches under his belt at the end of the season, the highly-rated youngster is now desperate to get back into the thick of the action and penned a one-year deal with Rovers yesterday following a medical.
Johnston said: “I’m delighted to sign for Raith Rovers and I can’t wait to get started.”
Johnston made his debut for Kilmarnock aged just 17 in 2012 and went on to make 68 appearances for the Ayrshire outfit.
His most regular spell in the first-team came during Locke’s stint as assistant-manager to Allan Johnston and then as boss two seasons ago.
Rovers chief executive Eric Drysdale said: “Chris is a highly-regarded player who, unfortunately, injured his crucial ligament at the start of last season.
“But we have given him a thorough medical and we are delighted to sign such an exciting young talent for Raith Rovers.”
