Raith Rovers: David Goodwillie signing is an insult to every survivor of rape or sexual violence – Martyn McLaughlin

It has invested considerable time and effort establishing a charitable community foundation to forge closer ties with the Fife town of Kirkcaldy, offering holiday camps for children, and providing essential food and supplies for those who have struggled the most during the pandemic.

This homely club can also lay claim to having the oldest affiliated women’s team in Scotland, and now has more than 140 girls and women playing across its various age groups.

But the events of this week are not a source of pride. Instead, there is only hurt, humiliation, and anger. In one catastrophically misjudged move, the club has put its hard-won position as a fulcrum of the community at risk, and forced many of its fans into a choice they should never have to make.

At 10.30pm on Monday evening, just half an hour before the January transfer window closed, Raith announced via its Twitter account that the club had signed David Goodwillie, the former Scotland international.

A brief statement on its website saw manager John McGlynn lavish praise on the 32-year-old, describing him as “the top goal scorer in Scotland” and someone who would prove “crucial to the club’s promotion push” as it seeks to return to the top flight of Scottish football for the first time in nearly three decades.

Remarkably, the statement went further, with the veteran manager insisting that every striker at the club would “benefit greatly from his experience in matches and training”. Mr McGlynn may regard Goodwillie as a role model, but such a status relies on more than sporting prowess. It demands good character, integrity, empathy, personal responsibility, and humility. It would be an understatement to point out that Goodwillie has none of these qualities.