Cowdenbeath FC vice-chairman John Lints said this week that it was indeed strange times in the Scottish professional leagues but it could add up to an exciting time for The Blue Brazil.Lints said this week: "The current educated speculation is that a newco Rangers may be relegated to Division 1 and this can only be good news for a club like Cowdenbeath. We would relish two trips to Ibrox plus two all-ticket games at Central Park. We would also be looking for two full houses against old rivals Dunfermline who we open the season against at Central Park.''The last time Cowdenbeath played Rangers in League matches was in season 1970/1 in the old 18 team Scottish First Division. In fact Rangers were due to play Cowdenbeath at Central Park in their next game after the Celtic match which brought about the Ibrox disaster but the game was delayed for over two months before Rangers won the midweek rearranged game 3-1 in Fife.In the other league match that season on September 19th 1970 Rangers beat Cowden 5-0 at Ibrox in the old 1st Division with Derek Johnstone netting a hat trick. It was the first league match between the two clubs since the 1930's.The teenage Johnstone won the League Cup for the men from Govan with a towering header in 1970 as they beat Celtic 1-0 in the final and the Gers beat Cowdenbeath in the semi final at Hampden 2-0 in front of a 37,000 crowd with goals from Sandy Jardine and a Willie Johnston penalty.Cowden's greatest ever victory came against Rangers at Ibrox in the 1949 League Cup Quarter Final 1st Leg when they won 3-2 only to lose the tie 5-4 on aggregate after extra time in a 2nd Leg which produced Central Park's biggest every attendance of 25,000 and this on a TUESDAY afternoon!There were Scottish Cup and League Cup ties between the sides in the 1980's with Rangers winning 5-0 at Ibrox and 3-1 at Central Park respectively but the prospect of League games between the sides again has really got the town Cowdenbeath talking.Should Rangers drop down to Division 1 then Dundee would take their place in the top flight. The Gers would face six league trips to the Kingdom of Fife in the new season should they move into Div 1 with Raith and Dunfermline also licking their lips at the prospect of regular league games against the Ibrox side.The Pars had a memorable 2-0 home win over the Graeme Souness led Gers side of the 1980's in the Scottish Cup while Raith's greatest cup moment came when they won the League Cup at Ibrox in the 1990's beating Celtic on penalties after a 2-2 draw.
Source: FOOTYMAD
