Rangers face familiar foe Brechin in opener

THE last set of fixtures ever produced by the Scottish Football League, for Divisions One, Two and Three, will see championship flag-raising ceremonies in Dumfries and Glasgow as well as a Fife Derby between East Fife and Dunfermline on next season’s opening weekend.

Queen of the South’s Palmerston Park is expected to be fully operational after the installation of a new artificial pitch this summer and the Second Division champions will host a Dundee side that were playing two leagues above them last season on the opening day Saturday, 10 August.

In the Second Division, Third Division title winners, Rangers will start life in the third tier of Scottish football against the same opposition that they started life in the SFL last summer when they meet Brechin City at Ibrox. Before kick-off the championship flag earned last season by Ally McCoist’s side will be handed over and Glebe Park boss Ray McKinnon reckons that will make a special day for his side even more special.

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McKinnon explained: “This is a brilliant game for Brechin City to be involved in. I played at Ibrox a few times for Dundee United and Aberdeen but for some of my players it will be a first. Some of the players have experience of when we played Rangers in another high profile game at the start of last season in the Ramsdens Cup but this one is different. It is at Ibrox and playing in front of what will be a huge crowd is a bit special. We know that it will be tough especially as they can play some of their new signings as trialists.”

Also in the Second Division on opening day is an intriguing clash between new-look East Fife, who survived in the league by winning the play-offs and their financially-stricken neighbours Dunfermline who were relegated after losing to Alloa in the play-offs.

In all there will be three new artificial pitches, with Hamilton and Falkirk joining Queens.

When the fixtures were collated the sides were paired opposite Clyde, Alloa and Annan in terms of their home and away games should they require access to a temporary home due to the work taking longer than anticipated.