East Fife chairman Lee Murray hopes the Fifers can put on a memorable show as they “make history” by hosting Rangers in the first televised match at Bayview.
The men from Methil will become the latest side to attempt to end the Gers’ unbeaten League One record on Saturday, with the encounter screened live on BT Sport.
Even for Murray, a veteran of the hospitality sector as managing director of pub chain Flood Inns, the preparation for their home clash against the Ibrox side being screened around the world has been a leap into the unknown.
Nevertheless, he cannot wait to welcome Rangers to Bayview where the leaders claimed a 4-0 win in October and hopes the afternoon proves to be a positive showcase for East Fife, on and off the pitch.
Murray, whose consortium took over the club last summer, said: “We only recently realised that this would be the first time Bayview has ever hosted a game live on TV, so that’s another first for the club and a wee bit of history we can make.
“It’s been something new for us all to get used to all the rigging and the gantries and getting everything ready. It’s been a bit mad and hectic but you need to lap it all up. It’s been really good.
“I’ve done my share of event planning in the hospitality industry, but this has been something different. It’s my first experience with live TV and is exciting for everyone around the place.
“The main thing is this is a great chance to show off the club. It will show where we are and, hopefully, in a couple of years the cameras will be back and we can say: ‘This is where we have got to’.
“In terms of the game, the manager (Gary Naysmith) has been playing things down, and rightly so.
“But it will be the first time a lot of these boys have been on TV and it is a shop window for them. Hopefully they embrace it and put on a show.”
With the early afternoon clash expected to be a sell-out, Murray believes the new regime at East Fife are gradually building interest in the club from the local community again.
He added: “That is important because a lot of the clubs around us have not been selling out the Rangers games.
“I know Stenhousemuir and Forfar recently haven’t sold out their Rangers tickets, but we’ve managed that.
“I would like to think that shows we are trying to do things the right way.”