Fans for the memories
County crowd return hailed a success:
ROSS COUNTY chairman Roy MacGregor has expressed hope that the Scottish Government’s decision to allow fans to attend Premiership football in Dingwall on Friday evening will lead to a more widespread return.
The club had applied to host 750 supporters for their match against Livingston under Tier 1 restrictions but received permission for only 300 in the end.
However, after also being allowed to have the same number of locals attend a previous test event against Celtic in September, the millionaire businessman is optimistic that the success of the venture will have eased concerns at Holyrood.
The 300 behaved impeccably, observing social distancing rules and adhering to the instructions of an army of stewards charged with policing their entry and exit from the Global Energy Stadium.
The presence of fans was also warmly welcomed by the management and players of both teams starved of atmosphere in recent months due to Covid-19 restrictions.
And MacGregor, one of the game’s most innovative and farseeing administrators, expressed delight after also highlighting the need to avoid any mishaps.
He said: ‘This provides hope in a fairly bleak time and it was great to see fans at the game they love. They were an example for the rest of the country.
‘Even with 300 people in the ground there was an atmosphere and it made such a difference to the game as a spectacle with clapping and noise.
‘It’s a step in the right direction and I am personally delighted and thankful to the government, the SFA and the SPFL for giving us this chance.’
MacGregor now hopes that the experiment will continue with the possibility of fans also being allowed back in Tier 2 areas of the country.
Those spectators fortunate enough to be able to watch the 1-1 draw were chosen by a ballot of season-ticket holders.
County manager Stuart Kettlewell shared his chairman’s sentiments, adding: ‘The crowd made a big difference. It was great to see supporters back in a ground. I’m sure everything went without incident, so maybe we can build on this in the coming weeks.’
Goalscorer Oli Shaw said: ‘The fans made a big difference. They gave us a big lift and created a bit of atmosphere, so it was good to have them back.’
Gary Holt, the Livingston manager, was even more effusive despite being silenced at times.
‘How much better was that?’ he asked. ‘We know they weren’t our fans, but I’m sick of hearing my own voice and the players must also have been sick of it. I’m standing here with a big smile on my face after seeing 300 fans sitting enjoying the game. They probably went home saying it was a really good game of football.’
Holyrood officials are likely to request a detailed report of all aspects of the latest fan trial before deciding their next step.
But with Rangers due to visit Dingwall for County’s next home game on Saturday December 5, it will be interesting to see where they go from here after sanctioning the presence of supporters for the visit of the other half of the Old Firm.
As the late Jock Stein said, football without its fans is nothing and that belief has been borne out in recent months.
Even such a small number of supporters allowed the game to return to a welcome level of at least some normality in these strange times.