BY DARREN JOHNSTONE – Capital City Press
Raith Rovers manager Ray McKinnon has issued a rallying cry to the club’s supporters as he bids to make football the most popular sport in Kirkcaldy.
Rovers have had to play second fiddle to local professional ice hockey side the Fife Flyers in recent years.
Flyers attract at least 500 more fans at the weekend, with Raith’s average home crowd hovering around the 1,500 figure in the last three seasons.
But McKinnon, who even helped out in the ticket office on Tuesday, is trying to change that.
Rovers have won all of their seven matches at Stark’s Park this term and are bracing themselves for a bumper attendance in tomorrow’s third versus second clash with Hibs.
McKinnon said: “The more fans that come along, the better. The bigger support it is, the better it is for the players.
“I’m sure Hibs will be well supported on Saturday and it would be nice if we can match their fan base.
“We’re just trying to grow the numbers coming to the park every week and that in turn is better for the club financially.
“We’re doing well and we hope the fans come out to support us, which they have done already.
They’ve been fantastic and hopefully they can bring some people along with them.
“They club have been trying to increase the crowd for the last ten years but it’s not really happened, folk talk about a generation gap or maybe it’s because they’re all going to the Fife Flyers.
“The ice hockey gets a bigger crowd on a Saturday night. It’s going to be difficult and the only way you can do it is if you’re successful on the park.
“The club needs to bridge that gap, hopefully we can do that and bring a new generation along.”
