The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Blue Brazil lift trophy after unusual ending
Cowdenbeath defeated Raith Rovers 2-1 to lift the Fife Cup in bizarre circumstances on Wednesday night, with both teams playing for two minutes in front of an empty stadium.
The Blue Brazil’s under-20 side were winning against their Kirkcaldy counterparts in injury time when the floodlights at Stark’s Park failed. The clubs were advised by the match official that he would allow 10 minutes for the lights to be restored before abandoning the match.
When the time elapsed, the referee asked the players to return to their dressing rooms.
However, light was restored just as the last players were leaving the pitch.
Most of the spectators had left the ground and after appeals from both sets of players and coaching staff as well as consultation with the SFA by telephone it was agreed to play out the final two minutes of the game.
There were no further goals and after only 120 seconds the whistle was blown and Cowdenbeath picked up the trophy and their medals.
A Raith Rovers spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to supporters of both teams who attended the match for the unsatisfactory way the match ended, and thank them for their patience as efforts were made to rectify the problem.”
“The reason the lights failed is still unknown but will be investigated as a matter of urgency in coming days.
“Finally, everyone at Raith Rovers would like to offer congratulations to the players and officials of Cowdenbeath on their victory.”