Val McDermid reacts to David Goodwillie U-turn from Raith Rovers as she warns 'there's a long road back'

Raith Rovers fan Val McDermid has welcomed the statement from her club insisting David Goodwillie will not play for the Kirkcaldy team.

But the club's main sponsor, who indicated she would pull her support from next season, insists it only goes some way to mending the broken bond between the Championship side's decision-makers and the fans.

On Thursday morning a statement from Stark's Park made it clear Goodwillie, who was signed on deadline day, would not be playing after the uproar from Raith supporters who made it clear they were against the signing.

Goodwillie was ruled to have raped a woman in the civil court in 2017.

His transfer from Clyde prompted mass resignations from club volunteers and drew condemnation from as high as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon while the women's team indicated they would be ditching the club badge and Rovers name.

It remains to be seen if the climbdown will win back the fans as McDermid, whose name adorns the club's kit, said: "I welcome this (unsigned) statement from Raith Rovers.

"It's a victory of sorts for the hundreds of people who MAKE the club who were appalled at the board's original decision and who were not afraid to speak out.

"But it's just the first step on a long road back.

"The same people who made the decision are still in charge.

"Those who love and value the club are still on the outside; they need to be on the inside, shaping the future for the community."