Today we caught up with 'A View From the Terrace' panelist Shaughan McGuigan to talk all things Raith Rovers!
How would you assess your club's 22/23 season so far?
The fact that my two favourite moments of the campaign to date, have been cheering on two substitutes probably gives you a general idea. Mind you, the long-awaited appearance of a gigantic Faroese international and the welcome return of Lewis Vaughan were both pretty exciting. Other than that, it’s all a little ho-hum. Probably not quite good enough to challenge the top four, and hopefully not quite poor enough to go down. Now excuse me, I’m off to touch everything that’s wooden in this room now I’ve written that last part down.
Main Man: Favourite current player and why
It has to be Lewis Vaughan. When he first emerged, he was the most talented young player I’ve seen at the club since Colin Cameron, and I don’t think it’s too fanciful to suggest that he could have had every bit as good a career as Cameron if not for the injuries. The mental fortitude he’s shown to go through so many operations and rehabs is incredible, and I just hope he can enjoy his football from here on in.
What is your earliest memory supporting your club?
My Grandad took me to the opening home game of the 1986/87 season, which was a 5-0 win over Ayr United. Rovers were in the bottom tier at that point, but we won promotion on the final day of the season, reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup and were featured on Grandstand for being the last unbeaten team in Scotland and England. Predictably we then lost our next league game to Meadowbank a few hours after the show, but regardless, based on my first season, I just presumed being a Rovers fan was always going to be brilliant. I was wrong.
Explain the nickname
“The Rovers” Honestly, this really bothers me. I’m not sure who was in charge of our marketing department when we were formed in 1883, but they really need to have a long hard look at themselves. I can only presume the brain storming session took place late on a Friday afternoon and they were wanting finished up for the week. “The Rovers, that’ll do, nobody will notice, right, it’s my round.”
Rubbish.
Almost Famous – What is your club best known for?
In terms of the good, it’s humbling Celtic in a League Cup final and then taking the lead against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup the next season. That picture of the scoreboard in the Olympiastadion must be the highest selling product in Kirkcaldy since we stopped producing linoleum. In terms of the bad, it’ll be appointing a manager whose only skills were in DJ’ing in Claude Anelka, then going one better a few years later and appointing a manager who had no skills whatsoever in Gary Locke.
Greatest Gaffer: Your favourite/most loved boss watching your team
Frank Connor - For most fans of my age, it’ll be Jimmy Nicholl, and I completely understand why, but all of Nicholl’s success came on the back of the foundations Connor had put down. When Connor arrived at Stark’s Park, Rovers were one of the worst sides in Scotland, grubbing around at the fag end of the bottom tier, and by the time he left, we were a decent second tier team.
Can you tell us one interesting fact about your club which other fans may not know?
The squad managed to get shipwrecked in 1923, when attempting to travel to a playing tour of the Canary Islands. Thankfully everyone was safe and sound, but my favourite part of this story, is that the report on the incident in the local paper, received fewer column inches than a man getting his bike stolen in Burntisland.
Editor must have been more of a rugby fan or something.
Who would make your ultimate all-time 5-a-side team?
- David McGurn – The greatest goalkeeper the world has ever seen. The fact John McGlynn dropped him for Andy McNeil for a title decider is a bigger mystery than the Mary Celeste, the Bermuda Triangle and the collapse of the Mayan civilisation combined.
- John McStay – We need players who can do a bit of everything here, so a goal-scoring defender is a must. Far and away the most talented footballer the McStay clan ever produced.
- Francisco Ortis Rivas – Or Paquito to his friends and associates, the Spanish central midfielder is one of the classiest players I’ve seen at Stark’s Park. Would still get a game now despite being 5
- Regan Hendry – Decided I needed at least one player who hasn’t retired, and as well as being an excellent player, Regan sometime likes my tweets, so that’s good enough for me.
- Martin Hugo Prest – An Argentinian sex God, Prest enjoyed everything there was to enjoy about Jackie ’O’s nightclub between 2002-04. Once saw him cutting about Kirkcaldy High Street in a shirt unbuttoned to the navel, and jeans that had more rips than denim, despite it being January and the Kingdom being under a foot of snow. Probably wouldn’t score many goals for our fives team but will organise a great night out.
What is your all-time favourite match?
Went for something a little less obvious, so 11th January 1995. Dunfermline 0 Raith Rovers 1. A game that had everything. A huge crowd, an incredible atmosphere, a massive delay because an official managed to injure themselves, a Raith goal and a Dunfermline penalty saved all within 90 seconds of each other. Add to that a vital win that allowed Rovers to eventually pip the Pars on the final day of the season and do a double. Lovely stuff.
What should visiting fans make sure they see/do when visiting your club/town?
It really depends on what kind of afternoon you’d like I suppose, but Kirkcaldy caters to every want! Fancy some culture? Well then the art gallery, museum and theatre can definitely provide it. If stunning vistas is your thing, then make sure you walk along Kirkcaldy promenade, with its breath-taking views across the Firth of Forth. If that doesn’t float your boat, and you’d rather just numb the disappointment of your impending defeat, then there’s more than enough bars and pubs within walking distance of Stark’s Park to embark on a very decent pub crawl.
What makes your club special to YOU?
Supporting a football club is all about the shared experiences and sense of community. I’ve stood in all four corners of Stark’s Park with friends and family, and experienced some of my favourite moments.
I’ve experienced the highs of cup wins against the Old Firm, to the lows of watching the team getting booed back onto the pitch at the start of the second half while 4-0 down to Hamilton, and honestly, I wouldn’t change a single thing. Apart from that Gary Locke appointment, deary me.
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