By Richard Burdge and Craig Smith

THERE WAS joy for Raith Rovers and St Johnstone fans at the weekend when their teams won promotion.

Raith will be playing in the first division next season, while Saints will be in the SPL (premier league).

Raith’s most famous fan, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, was quick to congratulate the team, while in Perth jubilant fans were out in force on Saturday toasting their team’s return to the top flight.

Saints clinched the first division title in style with an impressive 3-1 victory over Morton at McDiarmid Park.

Among the first to praise the team was provost John Hulbert, who said, “Perth can be very proud of (Saints manager) Derek McInnes and his players, and we wish them every success in the SPL next season.”

Among the crowds heading for the pubs and supporters’ clubs after the game was long-time Saints fan George Mitchell of Perth, who said he was already looking forward to next season’s fixtures.

“This is the culmination of a really hard season. Over the last few years we have had great cup runs, but getting into the SPL is what it is all about.

“We had a great unbeaten run but there were a lot of draws which meant it was pretty tight at the end,” he said.

The St Johnstone squad had a chance to celebrate when they attended last night’s PFA Scotland Awards ceremony in Glasgow.

Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart said, “Congratulations to Derek McInnes, Geoff Brown and all those involved at St Johnstone for winning the league and securing promotion to the SPL.”

Meanwhile, a rough week politically for the Prime Minister ended on a high note on Saturday as Raith clinched the second division championship.

Having faced criticism over his Commons defeat on the Gurkhas vote, his handling of MPs’ expenses and continued anger over the recent Email ‘smear’ scandal in recent days, Mr Brown will have been able to find some comfort from the fact his favourite team have managed to secure promotion back to the first division.

The Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath MP, who used to sell programmes at Stark’s Park as a boy, has been a lifelong supporter of the Kirkcaldy outfit.

Despite having the hectic schedule of a Prime Minister, Mr Brown often manages to take his place in the directors’ box at home games.

Raith’s 1-0 win over Queen’s Park was enough to give them an unassailable points lead over Ayr United, and no doubt put a smile back on the beleaguered Prime Minister’s face in the process.

Following Saturday’s victory, Mr Brown said, “Congratulations to Raith Rovers on clinching promotion.

“This is not just a great triumph for the players and the manager, but a victory for the fans who played a big part in reconstructing the club three years ago.

“They deserve this success for sticking with the club through thick and thin.”

Their triumph was the silver lining to a bad week for Mr Brown.

As well as the Prime Minister, celebrity Raith fans include authors Ian Rankin and Val McDermid, and Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman.