Celtic face Raith Rovers in the next round of the Scottish Cup, and details around the match have been announced by the Bhoys.
Kick-off is at an unusual 4pm on Sunday, 13th February. The game is, of course, at Celtic Park, and it’s one of two fifth round fixtures being broadcast by Premier Sports.
The other is Rangers’ trip to Annan Athletic [Premier Sports], while the BBC are covering Dundee and Hibs’ fifth-round Scottish Cup ties.
The Hoops got to the fifth round after beating Alloa 2-1 at the Indrodrill, with goals from Giorgos Giakoumakis and Liel Abada. The win came at a cost, though, with Callum McGregor and Yosuke Ideguchi suffering nasty injuries. Raith Rovers are more familiar opponents, however.
The Kirkcaldy side travelled to Celtic Park in the Premier Sports Cup earlier this season. Celtic came away with the win, following Jota’s first Hoops goal, as well as strikes from Liel Abada and David Turnbull [BBC].
John McGlynn has already described his team’s luck at drawing Celtic twice this season. First the Premier Sports Cup, and now the Scottish Cup, it’ll be a financial boost for Raith Rovers to visit Celtic Park again in 21-22. The former Celtic scout said [Courier]: “To get that draw twice in one season is a spectacular result, financially.
From a footballing perspective, we’re not daft. Celtic are favourites or second-favourites to win the competition. There won’t be much in that between them and Rangers — so we’ll be massive underdogs.
“We’ll need to have a very good day and hope they aren’t quite at their best.”
Strange kick-off time for Celtic supporters as Raith Rovers come to town for Scottish Cup clash in February
You can tell this kick-off time is going to cause a lot of arguments. With Valentine’s Day on a Monday this year, a fair few dinner reservations might be in danger on Sunday the 13th.
In all seriousness, we’re used to games being scheduled at funny times for TV coverage. The 5.30pm kick off we saw for Alloa v Celtic was an odd one. 4pm on a Sunday, though, is a tricky time for a variety of reasons.
For one thing, the Glasgow Subway will be closed by the time the match finishes. Buses and trains will be less regular, given the day and time. It’s just a bit… well, annoying, isn’t it? From a practical view, at least.
Still, you know it’s still going to be a busy and expectant Celtic Park crowd that greets the Bhoys and the Rovers on the 13th. A bonus, from Raith’s point of view, is that the Fifers will actually be allowed to bring fans to this game. When the teams met in the Premier Sports Cup, Covid protocols were stricter, but that shouldn’t be an issue this time round.
The fixtures are coming thick and fast for Celtic. But with a manager and playing squad surely desperate to win everything they can, this won’t be a challenge taken lightly.
Even if it is being played at a weird time of day.
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