After the glitz and glamour of the English Premier league on Sunday, it will be back to the bread and butter of the Scottish Championship for Raith’s Iain Davidson tonight.
“Davo” travelled down to take in Middlesbrough v Chelsea game at the weekend and watch a former Sunderland team-mate of his.
There were 32,704 inside the Riverside Stadium and while the 32-year-old acknowledged there would be a few less than that at Stark’s Park tonight, the game against Ayr is just as important in magnitude to the Kirkcaldy side.
Davidson, who is filling in at the moment at right-back for Rovers, is looking for three points after Saturday’s disappointing draw at Dumbarton.
He said: “I was at Middlesbrough-Chelsea on Sunday. A good friend of mine has a little lad who is a big Chelsea fan.
“I got tickets through Grant Leadbitter who I played with at Sunderland as a youth player and in the reserves. He’s the Middlesbrough captain now.
“It was good to see him get on the pitch and it was a great day out.
“It was a very good game, a great atmosphere and we really enjoyed it.
“You might see less people in the crowd on Tuesday night! But hopefully we get a decent crowd to help us get the three points.
“Chelsea play three at the back but I was trying to watch the Middlesbrough right-back.
“But he was a bit like me, he wasn’t getting forward very much because Chelsea were dominating the game.”
Davidson added: “Right-back’s completely new to me but since I moved there, defensively we’ve been all right. So, I can’t argue with that.
“We’re not conceding goals, which is a good sign.
“I’m not going to be the most attacking full-back in the world but defensively I’m always going to be pretty sound and back up the right midfielder and let them do their thing.
“I’m playing and I’m enjoying it, so it’s fine. It’s another position added on late in my career.”
There will be a familiar face for Davidson in the Ayr line-up tonight – his former Dundee team-mate Gary Harkins.
And the Raith stalwart admitted he was surprised his friend had moved to a part-time club after he left the Dark Blues.
He said: “Gary is someone I know very well. He’s a good lad and on his day he’s a very, very good player.
“He has great ability and if you give him time, he’ll create and make things happen.
“He’s obviously got a goal in his locker as well.
“He’s a guy I know very well and someone we’ll need to keep an eye on. From 40 yards in he can create something out of nothing.
“He’s a flair player and we’ll need to keep an eye on him and maybe need to give him a bit of extra attention.
“It’s going to be a tough game but the emphasis is on us to try to win and to be positive. Hopefully we can get the result.
“I still keep in touch and he actually messaged me for a game of golf at Gleneagles. But I had a better offer – I was at Kingsbarns.
“I keep in touch with him. He’s one of the good guys, one of the characters and he’s never changed – Gary will always be Gary.
“No disrespect to Ayr United but being in the Championship and a part-time club I was a bit surprised he went there.
“Gary has always played most of his career in the Premier League and at Dundee, who are a big club.
“I was very surprised he went to Ayr United but maybe at that time it suited him to make that decision.
“But club-wise you would maybe expect him to do a bit better.”
Raith will be without long-term injury victims Jason Thomson, Scott Robertson, Bobby Barr and Craig Barr.
