Raith board warned Goodwille U-turn 'too little, too late'

The Raith Rovers board have been warned their U-turn over the signing of David Goodwillie is "too little, too late".

Rovers stated on Thursday that the former Scotland striker would not be selected for the club and talks were under way over the two-and-a-half-year contract he signed on Monday.

The purchase of Goodwillie from Clyde sparked a furore given the 32-year-old was found by a judge in a civil case in 2017 to have raped a woman.

Several prominent supporters, directors and sponsors, including high-profile author Val McDermid, withdrew their backing of the cinch Championship club as a result and a number of staff and volunteers quit their roles.

In a statement, Rovers chairman John Sim apologised "wholeheartedly" and admitted: "We got it wrong.

"In reaching our original decision, we focused far too much on football matters and not enough on what this decision would mean for our club and the community as a whole," he added.

The statement concluded: "This very unfortunate episode is something that we all bitterly regret and we are now wholly committed to making things right.

"We share a desire to do what is best for our club and will be doing everything in our power to regain the trust and confidence of the Raith Rovers family."

However, former chairman Bill Clark, who stepped down from the board on Monday along with Andrew Mill, warned the episode could cost the club a six-figure sum and expressed sadness that his fellow directors did not heed the warning of the two dissenting voices.

He added to Sky Sports News: "It is, I think, too little too late because this went really deeply into people's minds, and a whole range of people, lots and lots of people. I think it's going to take a long time to rebuild the reputation of the