QUEEN OF THE SOUTH chairman David Rae has ploughed plenty of his personal wealth into the club who will be waiting for Rangers in tomorrow's Scottish Cup final.
The retired farmer is reaping the rewards of his investment having seen the Dumfries club exceed every expectation by going all the way to the end-of-season showpiece.
Queens will take on the Ibrox giants knowing they are the underdogs, but after
overpowering Aberdeen in a classic semi-final they are unlikely to be fazed by the experience.
And, after seeing the attention which the club have drawn in recent weeks, Rae is convinced he is on to a winner.
"At the moment, Queen of the South is the greatest brand name in the south-west of Scotland," he said. "I've brought in what I'd like to think was a steady growth in the club. That's like what I always did in my farming days. I always linked my farming closely to the football and that is hard graft.
"I always got up early and worked seven days a week and it's the same with the football club."
Queens have had a huge boost to their finances with their cup run after years of Rae keeping the club in the black.
Rae said: "It's going to turn things around so I certainly won't be needing to bankroll the club this year that's for sure, which is a great feeling, and that's how it should be."
Rae will be unable to make any difference come 3pm tomorrow but young defender Robert Harris could have a crucial role to play.
The 20-year-old will be facing his boyhood heroes, but said: "They havehad two big SPL games this week so hopefully that will take a lot out of them."
The full article contains 304 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
