There were fireworks and free pies at the victory party to celebrate Raith Rovers winning the Coca-Cola Cup 30 years ago.
It was Kirkcaldy’s biggest ever post-war street party.
Around 8,000 people packed the Town Square and surrounding streets to pay homage to their heroes following victory against Celtic on November 27 1994.
Hopes of having an open top bus parade through Kirkcaldy couldn’t be realised because the Christmas lights in the High Street were hung too low.
This was the next best thing.
Chariots of Fire theme greeted the team
Pipers and drummers from the YMCA band played as the team arrived under police escort for a private ceremony inside the Town House.
The district council HQ was decked inside and out with Raith flags, 1,200 blue and white balloons, bunting and streamers.
A drum roll announced Lord Provost Bob King after the band had finished its rendition of the theme tune from the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.
The lifelong fan introduced the triumphant players and manager Jimmy Nicholl.
The team emerged on to the steps with the Coca-Cola Cup.
The noise was deafening.
“Jimmy Nicholl has done for Raith Rovers what Jock Stein did for Dunfermline,” said Lord Provost King.
“This is indeed a proud moment in the club’s history.
“Tonight we add the name of Raith Rovers to the football roll of honour.”
He also presented Nicholl with an engraved cup which was seen as the most fitting way the council could mark the club’s “tremendous achievement”.
Free pies and 100 gallons of Bovril
To chants of “There’s only one Jimmy Nicholl”, the man of the moment thanked the crowd for their support.
He said he hoped to give them a lot more to celebrate.
The council bought thousands of free pies from Pillans which were handed out to the supporters along with 100 gallons of Bovril donated by hotelier Mario Caira.
The former ice cream manufacturer was also the caterer at Stark’s Park.
The crowd also tucked in to doughnuts gifted by Fife Bakers and Confectioners before standing back to enjoy the firework display and 32-beam laser lightshow.
Fife Youth Jazz Orchestra belted out swing numbers.
They were followed by legendary former Raith goalkeeper Bobby Reid and his An Teallach Ceilidh Band, which had the ravers reeling.
The official celebrations finished at 8.30pm.
The huge crowds continued to party the night away in the pubs.
Who could blame them?
This, after all, was the team’s greatest performance and their greatest result.
How did First Division Raith Rovers win the cup?
Second-tier Raith had reached their first major final for 45 years after getting past Ross County, Kilmarnock, St Johnstone and Airdrie.
The Ibrox final against Premier League Celtic was a 47,000 sell out.
Raith sold all of their 11,000 allocation.
Missed out?
The Courier was offering 10 pairs of tickets for Ibrox.
The lucky winners would also receive a Coca-Cola Cup fleece and 24 pack of cola.
The American soft drinks giant was the third commercial sponsor of the Scottish League Cup, after Bell’s Whisky and Skol Lager.
Raith were heavy underdogs.
They were priced 4/1 by the bookies to lift the trophy.
A good price considering they were 500/1 at the start of the season.
Celtic possessed the strongest squad on paper by some distance.
Jimmy Nicholl assembled his squad for £215,000.
The Celtic squad was valued at £5.1m.
Show us your medals?
Celtic hadn’t won a trophy since the 1989 Scottish Cup final.
Raith were playing well in the First Division with talented young players mixed with experienced campaigners like Gordon Dalziel, David Narey and Ian Redford.
Celtic were not short on experience.
Pat Bonner, Paul McStay and Charlie Nicholas, who scored in a 2-1 win over Rangers, were three survivors from their last League Cup winning side in 1982.
Manager Tommy Burns also played in 1982.
Raith captain Danny Lennon missed the final through injury.
Play swung from end to end from the first kick.
Stevie Crawford opened the scoring for Raith on 19 minutes with a low drive.
Andy Walker equalised for Celtic after 32 minutes and the Parkhead men edged in front with six minutes remaining through Charlie Nicholas.
Raith never gave up the fight and Gordon Dalziel nodded home from close range four minutes from time to take the game into an extra 30 minutes.
There was no further scoring.
The match had to be decided on penalties.
Scott Thomson was Raith hero in 1994
Each side’s first five shooters converted and it went into sudden death.
Raith went first.
Jason Rowbotham struck past Gordon Marshall.
Scott Thomson saved the decisive kick from Celtic captain Paul McStay.
“They’ll be dancing in the streets of Raith tonight” was the immortal line uttered by the BBC’s Sam Leitch at the final whistle.
There were also red faces among the scoreboard operators.
They flashed up Coca-Cola Cup-winning congratulations to Celtic.
It was quickly changed.
David Narey won the man of the match award for his performance.
Victory earned Raith a place in the following season’s Uefa Cup, which was a scenario Jimmy Nicholl described as laughable before the final.
The team partied until 3am after winning
The Courier said every pub in Kirkcaldy was crammed with people who spilled out on to the pavements to sing and dance the night away after the victory.
The MGM cinema at the eastern end of the High Street flashed congratulatory messages on to its screens.
The leader of Kirkcaldy District Council sent off a fax to congratulate the team.
Remember them?
There was a celebration for directors and players in the Dean Park Hotel.
The Jackie O nightclub, which sponsored the team, opened at 10pm and was full to capacity by 11.30pm and many revellers were turned away.
One surprise came at 11pm when a Celtic supporter called from Glasgow to wish Raith all the best and said he hoped everyone enjoyed themselves.
Most of the players arrived before midnight and partied until 3am.
All but one.
David Narey headed back to Dundee for an early night!
Manageress of the nightclub, Beverley McKenzie, described the atmosphere as “absolutely incredible”.
“They were all standing in the middle of the dance floor singing We Are the Champions at the tops of their voices and the place was a sea of scarves,” she said.
“Everyone was up on chairs and tables waving flags and cheering.
“I can’t begin to describe it.
“The players were celebrating with the fans and they were all signing autographs.”
Do good things happen in threes?
Raith would go on to be named BBC Sportscene’s Team of the Year before winning the Fife Cup with a 1-0 victory against Dunfermline Athletic.
Raith received hundreds of congratulatory messages following the victory.
One communication in particular stood out for Jimmy Nicholl.
It came from a Raith fan.
He expressed delight at the cup win and his sorrow he could not be at Ibrox.
He gave his address as the reason.
HMP Perth.
No pie, just porridge, for him.
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