Raith Rovers chairman Turnbull Hutton admits he is still expecting a rough ride from Rangers fans at this Sunday’s Ramsdens Cup final despite burying the hatchet with Ibrox boss Ally McCoist.
McCoist this week revealed that the fractious relationship between the clubs which harks back to the Gers’ descent into administration two years ago has been repaired following a recent scouting trip to Fife for Rovers’ Scottish Cup exit against St Johnstone, during which he met Hutton and director Eric Drysdale.
But while there will be no bad blood at boardroom or management level, Hutton acknowledges that he is likely to still find himself enemy number one among the 17,000-plus Rangers support.
That is despite the Rovers supremo echoing the wishes of the vast majority of Scottish football fans in the summer of 2012 that the Glasgow giants should be forced to start from the bottom tier following their financial collapse.
“I thought what Ally McCoist said this week was factually correct in terms of what happened two years ago and I admire him for saying it.
“Whether that makes any difference to the pelters I get on Sunday, I would doubt,” said Hutton.
“They pay the money and they make their choice. If they want to give out a bit of stick, that’s fine.
“But it’s not about politics and history it is about a game which is very important to both clubs and I’m sure it will be a great occasion.
“There is absolutely no issue between the clubs. The only rivalry will be regarding what is happening on the pitch.
“We can’t go on in Scottish football just harking back all the time. We need to move on, but I think history will show that what happened was probably best for the game.”