Club 27/09/2018
David McGurn Testimonial
A host of former players returned to Stark’s Park on Sunday as the club hosted David McGurn’s belated testimonial match.
The popular goalkeeper, now 38 and still playing with Cowdenbeath having left Rovers in 2016, was honoured for his eight years service with the Kirkcaldy club.
A team comprising John McGlynn’s league winners from season 2008-09 took on a team of Raith Legends containing some well known and loved players from yesteryear, including Jason Dair, Colin Cameron and Jock McStay.
In front of a few hundred fans, the match ended with a 6-2 victory for the Legends, who were managed by former Raith goalkeeping coach Wayne Henderson.
Match organiser John Greer said: “It was a great game played in a great atmosphere, and everyone really enjoyed it. It was a way of Davie being able to say thank you to the supporters, and the ones who came out got his gratitude and thanks. It was a great day for Davie and his family but also for all the players that made it along. The banter that comes with all these guys being together is something special. It means a lot to these boys to be asked back as well.”
As is custom with such fixtures, McGurn was given the opportunity to score from the penalty spot … although it took two attempts!
John Greer continued, “As you usually do in a testimonial, we managed to manufacture a penalty which Greig Spence thought he was going to get to take!” Greer added. So we called Davie up, he put the ball on the spot, and Daniel Tobin, one of the young goalies who was at the club with Davie, didn’t read the script and saved it. So we got another penalty within a minute and Davie came up and scored it this time.”
It was John McGlynn who signed Davie from Greenock Morton in May 2008 and he quickly established himself as a fans’ favourite for consistently producing world-class saves.
In his first season, he had 15 clean sheets as the Rovers won the SFL Second Division title.
In total Davie made 241 appearances for the club, which puts him in the top 45 players of all time. In November 2015, Davie was inducted into the Raith Rovers Hall Of Fame and was not only a popular teammate but regarded firmly as a fans favourite in his time at Stark’s Park.
