55-558: RRFC may refer to: Raith Rovers F.C. , a professional football club based in Kirkcaldy who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division Rathfern Rangers F.C. , a Northern Irish football club Rathfriland Rangers F.C. , a Northern Irish football club Reading R.F.C. , an English rugby union club based in the village of Sonning, on
110-507: A Thailand -based senior financial figure with liquidator KPMG . The Reclaim the Rovers fans' campaign, which was launched in a bid to secure a local future for the club, also secured a place for a Supporters' Representative on the new-look board after raising £100,000 towards the final figure. On 30 December 2005, Raith Rovers' future was secured after a £1.2 million community buy-out (The New Raith Rovers Limited consortium) (assisted by
165-653: A 4–0 aggregate defeat to Bonnyrigg Rose. Formed in 1881, the club has played at Central Park since 1917. They first joined the Scottish Football League (SFL) in 1905. The club has never won any of the major honours in Scottish football, but have won lower tier divisional titles on five occasions. They competed in the top division of the SFL from 1924 to 1934, but have only completed one further top flight season since, in 1970–71 . Cowdenbeath traditionally date their origin to
220-512: A crowd of 84,640. Raith lost 3–2 to Celtic . A disastrous season came in 1962–63, when the club finished bottom of the First Division conceding 118 goals in 34 games. After leaving Queen of the South , George Farm became Raith manager in 1964. Farm took Raith to promotion in 1966–67 before leaving for Fife rivals Dunfermline Athletic and was never able to repeat the formula when he returned in
275-537: A friendly in the first match in the redeveloped ground, with Raith securing a narrow 1–0 win. After the club were relegated from the Premier Division, they also struggled to succeed in the First Division. For the 2001–02 season they were relegated to the Second Division for the first time since 1987. The club returned to the First Division (with the lowest winning total, to date, for champions of 59 points), under
330-568: A major European competition while playing outside the top league. The same season, Raith finished sixth in the Premier League. Winning the Coca-Cola Cup, selling Steve McAnespie and playing in the UEFA Cup generated the money needed to redevelop Stark's Park as an all-seater ground with North and South Stands. It was completed in time for the 1995–96 season, and Bayern Munich were invited to play
385-406: A successful campaign. The club finished in sixth place, comfortably avoiding the play-off spot by 24 points. This improvement in form continued into the truncated season of 2019–20 , with the club finishing in fourth place after 27 games played. In June 2020, it was announced that fans had donated over £14,000 across three months via the 'Club 135' initiative, to assist the club financially during
440-519: A third consecutive relegation, and dropping out of the SPFL, by winning a play-off against Lowland League champions East Kilbride . The 2017–18 season was no improvement at all, with Cowdenbeath finishing last again and having to go through the play-off to avoid relegation. Their opponents were Highland League champions Cove Rangers and Cowdenbeath survived once again thanks to a 3–2 home win following an away goalless draw. Comparatively, season 2018–19 saw
495-514: Is a former director but in February 2022 cancelled her sponsorship and ended her lifelong support of the club in protest at the signing of David Goodwillie to the playing squad. Current St Johnstone manager and former Scotland and Hearts manager Craig Levein has supported the team since boyhood. The team is often mentioned in Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels, Rankin stating that Rebus
550-694: Is a supporter. In Giles Foden 's novel The Last King of Scotland the protagonist, Nicholas Garrigan, is a Raith Rovers fan. The Raith Rovers anthem is "Geordie Munro", with its prominent mention of Kirkcaldy. Supporter contact is maintained with fans of the German football club FC Ingolstadt 04 , from the twin city of Ingolstadt . Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Managers of
605-570: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Raith Rovers F.C. Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy , Fife . The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football League . The club has won four national trophies,
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#1733106800226660-633: The 1994 Scottish League Cup , and the 2013–14 , 2019–20 and 2021–22 editions of the Scottish Challenge Cup , and were runners-up in the 1949 Scottish League Cup and 1913 Scottish Cup . They have won the second tier of Scottish football six times, been runners-up four times, and reached its highest ever league finish in 1922 , third in Division One . As a result of winning the League Cup in 1994, Raith Rovers qualified for European football for
715-617: The Battle of Raith was once theorised to have been fought here in 596 AD. Raith House and Raith Tower sit on Cormie Hill to the west of Kirkcaldy and several parts of the town are built on land formerly of the Raith Estate, although the modern housing estate bearing the Raith name dates from long after the origins of the team. A mixture of local success and ambition took the club into the senior leagues where they established themselves and thereby became
770-529: The Canary Islands when the SS Highland Loch ran aground off the coast of Galicia , near Vilagarcía . The players were able to safely disembark, being rescued by local fishermen. They continued on their way a few days later, winning all four of their games on the islands, including one against Third Lanark , returning from a tour of South America. In July 2023, the club marked the 100th anniversary of
825-653: The Coca-Cola Cup , after a 2–2 draw. Future Raith manager, Gordon Dalziel , scored the equalising goal for Raith in the dying minutes of regulation time. The same season, Raith were again promoted to the Premier Division after winning the First Division title. As a result of the Cup win, Raith qualified for Europe ( UEFA Cup ) for the first time in their history. After eliminating both the Faroese and Icelandic champions ( Gøtu Ítróttarfelag and Íþróttabandalag Akraness respectively) in
880-454: The Esplanade , then Robbie's Park . Though there were other teams who incorporated the town name, such as Kirkcaldy Wanderers and Kirkcaldy United , Raith became the most successful of the local teams, winning five trophies in the 1890s. There had been a much earlier (and unrelated) Raith Rovers which merged with what is now Cowdenbeath in 1882. Although it lends its name to many entities in
935-578: The Scottish Football League . They won Division Two in 1913–14 and 1914–15 , but were not promoted to Division One on either occasion. The SFL was suspended due to World War I in 1915, and the club moved to Central Park in 1917. They were placed in Division Two when it was reformed in 1921, and after finishing as runners-up in 1923–24 , the club were promoted to Division One for the first time. The club remained in Division One until being relegated at
990-644: The Scottish Sports Hall of Fame : Cowdenbeath F.C. Cowdenbeath Football Club ( / k aʊ d ən ˈ b iː θ / kow-dən- BEETH ) is a Scottish semi-professional football team based in Cowdenbeath , Fife . They are members of the Lowland Football League , the fifth tier of the Scottish football league system after their relegation from Scottish League Two on 14 May 2022 following
1045-459: The 2nd Division championship. The record still stands today. The forward line of Glen (5 goals), Gilmour (35), Norrie Haywood (47), Whitelaw (26) and Joyner (21) scored 134 of the record 142 goals. Around this time, a then record crowd of 25,500 filled Stark's Park on a Wednesday afternoon for a Scottish Cup quarter-final replay against East Fife (The first game had attracted 19,000 to the old Bayview ground). East Fife won 3–2 and went on to become
1100-523: The Championship Play Off final thanks to goals from Kane Hemmings , Greg Stewart and Thomas O'Brien . The following season they finished bottom of the Championship after losing 3–0 on the final day to fellow strugglers Alloa Athletic. Before kick off Cowdenbeath had sat in eighth place but were overtaken by Alloa and Livingston who also won. Jimmy Nicholl handed in his resignation shortly after
1155-561: The Old Firm in 1921–22 under manager James Logan (a former Raith player who had fought in World War I having enlisted in McCrae's Battalion , along with several teammates who died in the conflict). This was followed by the unusual incident where the players were shipwrecked in 1923. Along with a cargo of chilled meat bound for Buenos Aires , the team had been en route to play friendly matches on
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#17331068002261210-400: The Scottish cup for the second year running between 1970–71 and 1971–72 – although the latter saw them beaten 3–1 by Kilmarnock with a crowd of 10,815. In 1975–76, the league set-up changed from Divisions 1 & 2 to a 3 tier system (Premier Division, Division 1 & Division 2). In the inaugural year of this system, Raith were promoted to the 1st Division, but were promptly relegated
1265-552: The Scottish game, was introduced by directors following a visit to England: the use of a ball in training. As noted in the Fife Free Press , "Hitherto, ball practice has been an absentee from the training curriculum on the grounds that being away from the ball for a week imparted eagerness on the Saturday." This heralded an era of success. The club had its highest ever league finish in the Scottish top division, when they came third to
1320-726: The Third Division. Season 2008–09 saw Danny Lennon's side miss out on promotion in a penalty shoot-out after a scoreless two-legged match and extra time against Stenhousemuir. However, they were promoted to the second division for the 2009–10 season as Livingston were demoted to the Scottish Third Division after breaching the league's rules on insolvency. After a tough start to life in the Scottish Second Division , Cowden soon found their feet and finished in third place. Amazingly they went on to defeat Alloa and Brechin in
1375-453: The appointment of former Scotland defender Craig Levein , who had begun his playing career with Cowdenbeath, as manager in 1997. Promotion from the Third Division was achieved in the 2000–01 season , although they would be relegated again two years later. After a third-place finish in the 2004–05 season . The 2005–06 campaign saw the team achieve their first divisional title win for 67 years with player-manager Mixu Paatelainen when they won
1430-477: The club have included Rovers managers since World War II : Raith Rovers Ladies and Girls F.C. was the oldest affiliated women's team in Scotland. In February 2022, the team resolved to cut ties with Raith Rovers due to the controversy over the signing of David Goodwillie , who was ruled to have raped a woman. The women's team renamed themselves McDermid Ladies, after the writer Val McDermid. Players from
1485-608: The club, and its traditional home of Stark's Park , were both placed under threat by previous owners Colin McGowan and Alex Short. The Glasgow based property developers had repeatedly threatened to sell Stark's Park for housing in a bid to find a buyer for their 50% stake in the club and after months of legal and financial wrangling a deal was struck with their company, West City Development. Former chairman Turnbull Hutton and director Mario Caira, who were part of West City retained their investment and were joined by major investor John Sim,
1540-603: The club. Goodwillie was released from his contract in September, no details being given by the club. Raith's kit consists of dark blue tops with light blue detailing, with white shorts and dark blue socks. Raith's current badge has been used since 1998, replacing the previous lion and shield motif used in different colour combinations (including being framed in a shield shape from 1995 to 1998) since 1985. There are three other SPFL clubs in Fife: East Fife around 8 miles to
1595-411: The duration of hostilities. When peacetime football resumed in 1946, the club were controversially placed in the new (second tier) B Division. While a 1949 League Cup success over Rangers at Ibrox was a highlight of the early post-war period, Cowden struggled to return to the elite level of Scottish football. This was finally achieved under popular manager Andy Matthew in the 1969–70 season , but
1650-517: The east, with Kelty Hearts and Dunfermline Athletic 13 and 14 miles respectively to the west. Raith's traditional derby is with East Fife though the biggest rivalry is against Dunfermline Athletic , with the encounter at East End Park in April 2011 attracting a crowd of over 11,000. In addition to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown , fans include author Ian Rankin , Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman and writer Harry Ritchie . Author Val McDermid
1705-466: The end of the 1933–34 season but claimed their third Division Two championship in 1938–39 . This feat was in no small part aided by Rab Walls ' 54 League goals – the second highest seasonal total in Scottish League history, behind only Jimmy Smith's 66 goals for Ayr United in 1927/28. However, the outbreak of World War II cut short Cowden's return to Division One, and the club closed down for
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1760-727: The first football team in Fife to be elected to the Scottish League in season 1902–03. The club were incorporated into a limited company: the Raith Rovers Football and Athletic Company, Ltd in 1907. After two consecutive successful seasons in 2nd Division , the club elected to join the 1st Division in 1909–10. Three years later, the club made their first (and only) appearance in the Scottish Cup Final, losing 2–0 to Falkirk . In 1921 an innovation in training, previously unknown to
1815-404: The first time in 1948–49 but lost 2–0 to Rangers . In an echo of what would happen four decades later, the club also went on to win the 2nd Division title. In the period of the club's greatest high level consistency, Rovers stayed in the top division until the season after McNaught's 1962 departure. In 1951, Raith had their largest ever gate for a Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park watched by
1870-511: The first time, entering the UEFA Cup the following season. The club managed to reach the second round , only to be defeated 4–1 on aggregate by eventual champions Bayern Munich . Raith's home ground is Stark's Park , an 8,867 all-seater stadium in the south of Kirkcaldy . The club has been based at the ground since 1891. The modern Raith Rovers were founded in 1883 in the Scottish town of Kirkcaldy, playing first at Sands Brae, now part of
1925-507: The first two rounds, the club finally succumbed to eventual UEFA Cup winners Bayern Munich . They were beaten 2–0 by the German side in the 1st leg, which was not played at their home ground but at Easter Road , home of Hibernian . In the 2nd leg, at the Olympiastadion they led 1–0 at half time against all odds, eventually losing 2–1. This was the first time a Scottish team had qualified for
1980-445: The following week following a 0–0 draw with Arbroath. On 6 April 2014, Raith won the 2014 Scottish Challenge Cup Final 1–0 against Rangers after extra time. In early 2022 the club signed David Goodwillie . Days later, after an outcry regarding the rape ruling against him, chairman John Sim announced Goodwillie will not play for Raith Rovers and the club would review his contract. Raith's women's teams had moved to sever ties with
2035-412: The leadership of Antonio Calderón in 2002–03 season. At the start of the 2004–05 season, Claude Anelka (brother of French striker Nicolas ) offered £300,000 to any team who would offer him a manager's job and was subsequently appointed the manager of Raith Rovers, with Antonio Calderón refusing the offer of a coaching role and leaving the club. Anelka signed a team of (mostly) continental players from
2090-453: The lower leagues in France. A disastrous season followed, despite Anelka resigning halfway through the season (replaced by Gordon Dalziel ) and his signings either leaving, or having their contracts terminated, and Raith were relegated to the Second Division, after finishing bottom of the First Division with just 16 points in the season. During 2005–06, the future of the club looked doubtful after
2145-552: The match leaving Colin Nish to rebuild the team for life in Ladbrokes League One. Nish was unable to stop the slide and Cowdenbeath suffered successive relegations, finishing 9th but being defeated 2–1 on aggregate by Queen's Park in the semi-finals of the play-offs. Nish was sacked on 12 May 2016, being replaced by Liam Fox . Continuing Cowdenbeath's woeful run, they finished 10th in the 2016–17 Scottish League Two . They avoided
2200-471: The merger of two local clubs, Cowdenbeath Rangers (formed 1880) and Cowdenbeath Thistle, which occurred in 1881. However, research by the club's historian suggests the Cowdenbeath Rangers name continued to be used at this time and the founding of Cowdenbeath F.C. should properly be dated to 1882, when another merger saw Rangers combine with a local club called Raith Rovers (formed 1881 and unrelated to
2255-412: The next season, before bouncing back up the season after. Raith then performed reasonably well in the 1st Division, hovering around the top four until the early 1980s. A new manager, Frank Connor took charge in early 1986, bringing many new faces onto the team which resulted in promotion on goal difference after a 4–1 win against Stranraer (while Ayr United lost to Stirling Albion ) on the last day of
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2310-786: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic . Biggest win: 12–0 vs Johnstone in Scottish Cup on 21 January 1928 Biggest loss: Biggest home attendance : 25,586 vs Rangers on 21 September 1949 Youngest debut: Peter McKean vs Forfar Athletic on 11 November 2014 (15 years 60 days in Scottish Championship Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. The following former Cowdenbeath players are all members of
2365-454: The only 2nd Division club to win the Scottish Cup until Hibs matched the feat in 2016. Record appearance holder Willie McNaught first appeared for Raith during the war before signing on a contract basis when normal football resumed after the end of global hostilities. McNaught went on to make 657 senior football appearances (many as captain) for Rovers. Raith reached the League Cup final for
2420-519: The outskirts of Reading Risborough Rangers F.C. , an English non-league football club Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title RRFC . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=RRFC&oldid=900673459 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
2475-578: The play-offs to secure promotion. Prior to the 2010–11 season Jimmy Nicholl was appointed new manager. They were relegated from the First Division to the Second Division on Saturday 14 May 2011 after losing their relegation/promotion play-off semi-final tie 4–2 on aggregate to Brechin City with the first leg at Glebe Park ending 2–2 and the second leg at Central Park ending 2–0 to Brechin City . It
2530-475: The pre-eminent team in the town. The club became a senior team in 1889 around the same time they were forced to leave Robbie's Park which was incorporated into a new public park called the Beveridge Park , named after Provost Michael Beveridge. The team subsequently moved to their current home of Stark's Park named after and run by councillor Robert Stark in 1891. The club turned professional by 1892 and were
2585-488: The present Kirkcaldy club ). The establishment of one club to represent the town thus coincided with the establishment of the Fifeshire Football Association that year. Cowdenbeath, who are the oldest surviving football club in Fife, lost in the inaugural Fife Cup final in 1883 but won the Cup for the first time in 1885. In 1888 the club moved to North End Park , and in 1905 were admitted to Division Two of
2640-425: The region, Raith is not itself a settlement. A Raith Rovers victory in the 1960s led to a BBC commentator's blunder that the fans would be "dancing in the streets of Raith tonight". Although commonly attributed to David Coleman , it was actually said by Sam Leitch . Raith ( Scottish Gaelic : rath , "fort" or "fortified residence") as an area once stretched from south of Loch Gelly as far as Kirkcaldy and
2695-464: The season of 1971–72. Raith managed to avoid relegation in 1967–68, thanks to striker Gordon Wallace , who became the first player outwith the Old Firm to be voted SFWA Footballer of the Year . He scored 27 goals in 34 matches. However the club did find themselves being relegated again at the end of the 1969–70 season. Nonetheless, the Rovers during this time managed to get through to the quarter-finals of
2750-568: The season. Raith reverted to being a full-time side again for the season of 1991–92 which was soon followed by winning the First Division title in the season of 1992–93. This was to start the most successful period in the club's history – which saw the team's first foray into the Scottish Premier Division (now the Premiership). On 27 November 1994, Raith, managed by Jimmy Nicholl, surprisingly beat Celtic 6–5 on penalties to win
2805-462: The shipwreck with its new away strip in the yellow and blue colours of UD Las Palmas , a team based in Gran Canaria, and including a map of the archipelago and the date of the shipwreck. The team battled on during tough times between the 1920s and 1930s but things improved by the season of 1937–38, which saw Raith setting a British League Record with 142 goals in just 34 league matches while winning
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#17331068002262860-411: The solitary season in Division One that followed remains the club's only top flight campaign since the 1930s. More recently, hopes for the future were raised when Cowden were promoted to the First Division in season 1991–92 , but they soon slumped back to the basement of the Scottish League amidst a run of 38 League games without a win at Central Park . A more professional approach was ushered in with
2915-477: The team that lifted the 1994–95 Scottish League Cup include: Also involved in the squad were Scott Thomson , Julian Broddle , David Sinclair , Ally Graham , Brian Potter , Jason Rowbotham and Ian Redford . As of 1 June 2020, 10 players to have been involved with Raith Rovers in their careers have entered the Scottish Football Hall of Fame : One former Raith Rovers player has been selected in
2970-469: The then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown who later became Prime Minister , a fan and shareholder of the club). Previous chairman David Sinton also completed work on the takeover. On 2 May 2009, Raith secured the Second Division title with a 1–0 win at the home of Scottish football, Hampden Park, with a travelling support of over 1500. They lifted the trophy in front of almost 5000
3025-579: Was a massive blow to the club especially after being 2–0 up at half time in the first leg in Brechin. Under new manager Colin Cameron , Cowdenbeath immediately regained promotion the following season, winning the league with two games remaining. The season after, they ensured survival on the final matchday with a 3–1 away win over Hamilton Academical . The following season they avoided relegation again by defeating local rivals Dunfermline Athletic 4–1 on aggregate in
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