Raith Rovers set for club shake-up after Goodwillie debacle

Raith Rovers are set to oversee a major boardroom reshuffle in the aftermath of the David Goodwillie debacle.

Goodwillie remains contracted to Rovers after signing a two-and-a-half year contract on deadline day – although a furious backlash forced the Kirkcaldy outfit to confirm that the player, who was labelled a rapist by a civil court judge in 2017, would never play for the club.

In a statement yesterday, Raith confirmed that ‘‘a number of legal and financial issues are still being discussed with concerned parties’’.

The signing prompted directors Andrew Mill and Bill Clark to step down, principal sponsor Val Mcdermid to walk away and a swathe of volunteers to withdraw their services.

As a result, the board is now made up of chairman John Sim, vice-chairman Steven Macdonald, David Sinton and Tom Morgan — all of whom voted in favour of the Goodwillie signing.

CEO Karen Macartney is not a director.

Nevertheless, the club has confirmed that the board’s structure is likely to change in the coming months.

The Raith statement read: “We have commenced consultations on a thorough review of the composition board of directors of the club, with a view to broadening the experience and expertise of the board and to ensure that all our stakeholders are fully represented. We will complete this by the end of the season and we will then communicate the results.

“Meanwhile, the remaining four board Members, the CEO and all club staff are fully engaged on keeping the club going through this difficult time.”

Raith acknowledged that the ‘‘wrong’’ decision to pursue Goodwillie resulted in ‘‘an awful period in the club’s long and proud history’’. And, in a bid to build bridges, talks are now ongoing with supporters’ groups.

Courier Sport also understands that a number of individuals who stepped back from voluntary positions are now willing to return to the fold in light of Goodwillie’s impending exit. The club added: “We fully acknowledge that there is still a long journey ahead of us to reach a position where the many thousands of people who are part of the Raith Rovers family feel they have trust and confidence in those of us who take the day-to-day decisions.

“Some of the first steps on this journey are already under way. We have reached out to the supporters’ groups, and meetings have already taken place, with more planned over the coming weeks to begin discussions that will lead to agreement on a plan to repair the reputational and financial damage.

“We know this will not be easy and we are not underestimating the size of the task ahead of us.

“It is, however, one we are wholly committed to in the belief that the club can come out of this stronger in the long term.”

BACKLASH: David Goodwillie remains contracted to Raith Rovers after signing a two-and-a-half year contract.