Iain Davidson has thanked Raith Rovers for giving him a proper send-off after his 14-year stint in Kirkcaldy ended with a move to Brechin City.
Davidson, 37, quit Rovers in the summer after making 507 appearances over two lengthy spells at the Fife club and has agreed a two-year deal at Brechin.
His time at Raith came to an ignominious end after he was banned for using discriminatory language towards Nikolay Todorov.
That suspension has cost Davidson the chance to face his old club in the Premier Sports Cup.
He refused to be drawn into a war of words on that incident or respond to Todorov’s criticism in Courier Sport.
He is keen instead to look to the future at Brechin – and his Raith testimonial against Hibernian on July 16th.
“I’m really sad I’ll miss the chance to play against Raith (in the Premier Sports Cup) but it’s been dealt with,” said Davidson.
“I accept the ban and move on.
“It’s very hard for me to leave Raith. It’s my local team and one I’ll always feel attached to.
“I live here and it’s been a real pleasure to have played so many games for the club over the years.
“I’ve been very loyal to Raith and they have been good to me but knew my time at the club was coming to an end.
“The club have made sure that I didn’t miss out on the chance to say goodbye properly to the fans.
“I was supposed to have a testimonial against Dundee last year – which would have been fitting against my old club.
“Covid put paid to that. Now I can say goodbye properly against Hibs.”
TESTIMONIAL MATCH – IAIN DAVIDSON | Long – serving defender Iain Davidson's time at the Rovers is now at an end and he has been awarded for his years of service with a testimonial match v @HibernianFC on Friday July 16th, 7pm kick-off:https://t.co/gwZQQPWUqE#davo pic.twitter.com/lqN5zvBvlE
— RRFC Official (@RaithRovers) June 18, 2021
The lure of working with Craig Levein
Davidson briefly considered hanging up his boots when his time at Rovers came to an end but decided to keep playing part-time.
After keeping himself fit by caddying at St Andrew’s and Dumbarnie Links, he had a range of offers from League One and Two clubs – including Forfar and Kelty Hearts – before agreeing a switch to Brechin.
The influence of former Dundee United, Hearts and Scotland boss Craig Levein weighed heavily in Davidson’s decision to sign for Brechin and lead their charge to recover from the shock of relegation to the Highland League.
“I’m excited about the future and buzzing to keep on playing,” said Davidson, who plays golf off a handicap of four.
“I had quite a lot of options on the table from League One and League Two clubs but Brechin’s ambition blew me away.
✍️ 𝗖𝗜𝗧𝗬 𝗖𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗖𝗛 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗗𝗔𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗦𝗢𝗡
Andy Kirk has completed his first signing as Brechin City Manager with the capture of former @RaithRovers skipper Iain Davidson.
Welcome back to the Glebe, Davo! 🤝
Full story ➡️ https://t.co/xhSqzSPDnV pic.twitter.com/3rts5NTY1J
— Brechin City FC (@BrechinCityFC) June 23, 2021
“When you have a guy like Craig Levein convincing you to sign it’s a very easy decision.
“I worked with Craig briefly when he came to Raith after leaving Leicester and I have the utmost respect for him.
“I’m also a big fan of Andy Kirk and he came across very well when I met him.
“We had a few battles on the pitch as players and had a laugh about that.
“But I can see how determined he is to succeed at Brechin and I want to be part of it. It was too good an offer to turn down.
“It’s not going to be easy. The Highland League is going to be a different challenge altogether for me but I like the way Brechin are approaching it.
“They are keen to get the right blend of youth and experience and hopefully I can be influential.
Davidson on course for fitness
“The caddying helps add in extra fitness.
“I was at St Andrews but it’s very difficult because there are no tourists at the moment.
Happy 1st Birthday to stunning @dumbarniegolf – quite the year, including being the highest new entry into our Top 100 UK & Ireland Course rankings https://t.co/lsIb0cdHwS pic.twitter.com/BO4VpJ4ZzM
— Golf Monthly (@GolfMonthly) May 29, 2021
“I’ve also been doing the rounds at Dumbarnie Links, trying to help people knock some shots off their score.
“It’s an incredible course, a real five-star place that is going to be massive in the future. It’s a pleasure to work there.”
