Andy Barrowman has hailed the Raith Rovers ‘milestone’ that left him both proud and emotional on Friday night.
The Kirkcaldy side’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Dundee United hauled them right back into the title hunt with their visitors at the top of the league.
Scott Brown’s sensational 89th-minute winner was timed to perfection as Ian Murray’s side triumphed for the first time in nearly two months.
It was all played out in front of a capacity crowd and the largest attendance at Stark’s Park in almost 27 years.
Barrowman has revealed he was so determined to soak up the occasion that he took his place early in the directors’ box to watch the ground pack out by kick-off.
And, by the full-time whistle, the Raith chief executive has confessed he was thrilled to see the fruits of the labours of the club’s new owners play out in front of them just nine months after their arrival.
He said: “The numbers speak for themselves, in terms of the supporters who were here. There were over 4,000 home fans in the ground and it was fantastic.
“We literally didn’t have a single ticket left. Every single ticket was gone.
“It was fantastic and, to win the game in that manner as well, finished off a really good and important night for the club.
Winners
“We all want to win games of football but I said before the game that, regardless of what happened in the game, we had already won.
“It was just a really important milestone for the club, just to show how far we’ve come in these first few months.”
On the pitch, the victory lifted Raith to within a point of United at the summit of the Championship.
Off it, the win will have helped continue the process of healing the relationship with the local community and their fans that was damaged during the embarrassing David Goodwillie signing debacle a little over two years ago.
Barrowman added: “People have a Raith Rovers they can get behind.
“And I think it’s probably fair to say that it’s been a long time since a lot of people felt like that.
“It’s a culmination of everything we’ve done with the help of the fans. There have been lots of little moments to get to this stage, where we can sell out Stark’s.
“I was deliberately sat in the directors’ box from the warm-up because I just wanted to see the place fill up and experience the atmosphere, and take it in.
“It’s hard sometimes, you get caught up in what you’re doing and don’t actually take these things in.
Emotional
“So, I made that conscious effort to do that on Friday night.”
He went on: “It was just a really proud moment for all of us who have come into the club. Some were here as supporters in different eras but it was just brilliant.
“I was a bit emotional on Friday night, even before a ball was kicked. To win the game in that matter brings on intense emotions, but even before the game kicked off that was there.
“I had a really nice email from the chairperson of one of the supporters’ clubs on Friday morning, just saying thanks.
“He was looking forward to the game and proud to be a Raith Rovers supporter again, and little things like that just mean the world, they honestly do.”
For all the highs of Friday night, however, Barrowman has acknowledged it counts for nothing tangible yet.
He said: “We want to keep growing on it. We want more fans to come and even the fans who are coming now to feel even more passionately about it, if that’s possible.
“We’re not finished, we’ve not achieved anything.
“But sometimes it’s just good to see little moments like that to appreciate just how far we’ve come and to take it all in.
“And then we get up again on the Monday morning and we go again.”
