Ross Matthews helped ensure his friends and family enjoyed a cup final party with the Raith Rovers fans at the weekend.
But he knows he and his team-mates simply had to put their champagne on ice after claiming tonight’s Fife derby is even bigger than Sunday’s SPFL Trust Trophy final.
With skipper Kyle Benedictus suspended and vice-captain Christophe Berra not fit enough to play, Matthews was handed the captain’s armband for the cup showdown with Queen of the South.
It turned into an unforgettable day for the Stark’s Park stalwart, who was in his first year as a professional when Rovers last clinched the trophy in 2014.
The 26-year-old was able to count on the personal support of a coach full of friendly faces in Airdrie before jointly raising the silverware aloft following Raith’s 3-1 victory.
But while the ‘party bus’ headed back to Edinburgh to celebrate, John McGlynn’s squad found the prospect of a crucial league clash with Dunfermline a sobering thought.
He said: “I had a group of 20 of my family and friends who were at the game. My dad hired a bus to bring them all through. People have said it was a ‘party bus’ but it was really just a minibus.
“They left early on Sunday to get through but it was probably a party bus on the way back! They went back to my mum and dad’s for a party.
“We were training on Monday so we weren’t able to join in the celebrations and we didn’t even have a drink as we had the Fife derby to prepare for.”
Focus
Matthews added: “The league has been our main focus and we have to get into the play-off spot, that’s the minimum we expect.
“We have been looking for that boost and we haven’t been on a great run. In the last few games we were maybe lacking some luck.
“Hopefully the final can get us going and give us a push to get ourselves into the play-offs.
“People talk about having a hangover after winning a final but we couldn’t have a bigger game to go into than a derby with Dunfermline.
“That game is even bigger than the cup final.”
