The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
WALK FOR COURT CASH
Cove fan and ex-coach lead 63-mile fundraising bid to help promotion legal costs
Cove Rangers fan Ian Yule hopes his efforts aid the club in their legal battle after completing a walk from the Balmoral Stadium to Tannadice.
Yule and former Cove player and coach Roy McBain walked the 63 miles between the two stadiums to raise money for the Aberdeen side.
League Two champions Cove along with Championship winners Dundee United and League One table toppers Raith Rovers stand to rack up legal costs of £150,000 as they defend themselves as Hearts and Partick Thistle seek to overturn their relegations and block the promotions.
Following a Court of Session hearing an SFA arbitration panel is set to start today to settle the matter.
Fans of the three clubs have been fundraising, with Yule and McBain’s walk raising almost £10,000, a total that will matched by a local businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, with a portion of the cash going to Yule’s chosen charity Voluntary Service Aberdeen.
Former Cove and United defender Mark Perry joined in for the first 31 miles.
Cove manager Paul Hartley, director of football John Sheran, ex-captain Eric Watson and former player and manager Kevin Tindal also did stints.
Cove secretary Duncan Little and youth coach Gary Hake also pitched in and along with goalkeeping coach John McCafferty they were with Yule and McBain when they reached Tannadice just after 7pm on Saturday.
Dundee United captain and former
Aberdeen defender Mark Reynolds joined them for the last couple of miles and Tangerines midfielder Declan Glass, who spent the first half of last season on-loan at Cove, was there to greet them at Tannadice along with United and Raith supporters.
Yule, 60, said: “Hopefully the money makes a difference. That’s obviously the main aim, I got a tremendous amount out of doing it. I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t go the way we are hoping for but it won’t detract from the experience and the efforts people have gone to to raise money.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has donated and everyone who has sent us messages of support.
“We had great support from the chairman Keith Moorhouse and physio Donal Gallagher in the support car.
“Duncan Little and Gary Hake walked an amazing amount of it as well.
“It was tremendous meeting the players we did on the way and at Tannadice and I hope after this Cove, Dundee United and Raith Rovers are successful in what they’re trying to achieve. I feel I’ve got an affinity to those clubs because of the reception we got and because of the efforts all three sets of supporters made. The reception outside Tannadice was beyond belief.
“I’m not an emotional guy but when I turned the corner and saw my family and saw the Dundee United and Raith Rovers fans cheering us it was really emotional.
“It was a special atmosphere, the other supporters were there about an hour before us but they all stayed to wait for us.”