Rovers can shock Hibs and give fans a day to remember
Raith Rovers’ knock-out exploits have captured Kirkcaldy imaginations. Now Iain Davidson wants to make the Stark’s Park punters’ Scottish Cup dreams come true against Hibs.
Rovers’ fourth-round Fife derby win over Dunfermline was watched by a raucous crowd of over 6,000 at Stark’s and, with next weekend’s clash with Hibs at Easter Road still six days away, more than 1,000 away tickets have already been shifted.
For Davidson, the Kirkcaldy side’s potential is clear to see.
Now he is determined to help Rovers meet it by giving their resurgent fan base something to shout about.
“You can see the fans have responded to the Cup games this season,” said the Raith star.
“With the last one being a Fife derby, you’d maybe expect that, but it also shows the kind of crowds this club could potentially attract.
“You know if we can get back up to the Championship and, if we’re challenging, with big games in the league and the Cup, there’s no reason Raith Rovers shouldn’t expect crowds of five or six thousand.
“Selling so many Hibs tickets so far in advance tells you the fans are there – and they’re behind us on this Cup run.
“It’s up to us now to try to give them a day to remember at Easter Road.
“Hibs are a big club, a good team, but they’ve gone through a wee bit of turmoil over the last week.
“Maybe that can work in our favour a bit.”
Rovers endured a tumultuous spell of their own earlier in the season when former boss Barry Smith left the club.
The current Brechin City gaffer walked away with Rovers sitting second in League 1 – a place they still occupy under John Mcglynn.
For keeping Raith competitive in a league that looks increasingly cut-throat below runaway leaders Arbroath, Davidson reckons Mcglynn deserves credit.
“The atmosphere is good at the club,” said Davidson.
“The gaffer has come in and got things running really well.
“I know him really well and he’s got a way he wants us to play, a passing style, that the boys are all on board with.
“The gaffer had been at Celtic working in the way Brendan Rodgers wanted him to and I think you can see that in how he is with us now.
“The one frustration is that we haven’t quite got as many positive results as we might feel like we’ve deserved.”
Fortunately, next weekend’s Cup clash offers Rovers a break from the dog-eatdog grind of League 1.
And Davidson hopes his team-mates embrace the change of vibe – as they did against Dunfermline.
“It’s something different for the boys,” said Davidson.
“I think you saw against Dunfermline that we embraced it and enjoyed it. “I don’t see why we can’t do the same thing again next weekend – and send the fans home happy.”