Arbroath, Cowdenbeath, Partick Thistle and Queen of the South have been given another huge incentive to win their Ramsdens Cup Semi-Final ties this Sunday as the sponsor has arranged for English Championship club Middlesbrough to visit the eventual winners for a pre-season friendly.
Tony Mowbray’s side, who are also backed by the pawnbroking and financial services company, came up in July and faced holders Falkirk and they enjoyed the experience so much that they are going to do it again next summer.
Ramsdens Commercial Director, Colin McLauchlin, said: “We may be their sponsors but you cannot just tell a big English club that they are going up to Scotland for a game. They have to want to do it and thankfully, that is the case with Middlesbrough.
“When they came up three months ago to face Falkirk, it was their Manager Tony Mowbray’s first game up here since leaving Celtic and he enjoyed being back. It was a really thrilling 7-3 win for his side as well and they are keen to make it two wins out of two.”
McLauchlin added: “It will obviously be a new venue Middlesbrough visit this summer and it is a great opportunity for whoever the opponents are to showcase the talent they have in their team. Falkirk’s young side put on a great performance and I am sure it was a great experience for them to play against Tony’s side and I am delighted that we have been able to work with them to come up north again.
“To be honest, it was not too hard a sell as Tony snapped up the opportunity. The date has still to be organised and hopefully, we can work with another SFL partner, BBC ALBA, and get the game televised live again.”
One reason that made it such an easy decision to head north again was the reaction from Boro supporters with McLauchlin adding: “The Middlesbrough fans gave their club good feedback about the trip north and they are already looking out Cowdenbeath, Dumfries, Arbroath and Partick Thistle on the map.
“Some of them have said they would like Queen of the South to win but that is not so much about a shorter trip but to recognise their Manager Allan Johnston who played for them for a couple of years. Regardless of where it is, I am sure it will be well supported.”
This season’s competition has already been viewed as a success by Ramsdens with McLauchlin saying: “There has obviously been increased interest and exposure with Rangers being in the competition and we have had record crowds as well. They lost out in the last round and we lost some other big clubs like Dunfermline, Morton and Falkirk quite early but the enthusiasm remains high.
“There will be a Second Division club in the Cup Final and that is another great story as it shows that the game in the SFL at a grassroots level is really strong.”
Ramsdens have spent this week supporting the clubs with a trophy tour at local branches or at the club’s ground and McLauchlin said: “We wish all the clubs well and we have had a warm welcome from all four clubs this week and it is great to see the excitement ahead of the Semi-Finals.”
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