Raith Rovers star ahead of Celtic tie: Scotland should have bigger top flight

The Stark’s Park full-back, 29, thinks that adding William Hill Championship sides like his could help reinivigorate a ‘stale’ product which typically sees sides in the top four leagues play each other four times a season, increased if they are drawn in cups.

The ex-Alloa Athletic man said: “I do think we should have a bigger top flight. The perfect time to do it was probably during Covid I think.

"But there are obviously a lot of questions that go around. Teams don't want to give up their games against Celtic and Rangers, because that's their big money makers. Clubs running businesses are going to be selfish, that's what they want.

“But Championship teams can go and play SPL teams and at times you wouldn't know who's who. I think Scotland's the type of place where a lot of times it depends who turns up on the day.

"It’s maybe similar to us playing a League One team like Cove Rangers that are full-time. They'll be fit and stuff and if we're not at it they could possibly beat us.

"I think for Scottish football a bigger top flight would have been great, but I don't know if we sort of missed the boat on it.

“Before the Scottish Cup fifth-round draw people were posting online saying they bet we would get either Livingston or Ayr, because we've played them already.

"But having a game like Celtic, you’re buzzing because it's Celtic, Rangers or one of the bigger clubs because you just want to play somebody different.

"You already play other Championship teams four times a season, which is quite a lot already.

"When we drew Ayr in another cup, I think that was Neil Collins' first game, I don't think there was a lot of excitement about it.”

Raith could already be in the top flight, having finished second in the Championship last season before having their dreams dashed by Ross County, who beat Ian Murray’s then side 6-1 on aggregate in the Premiership play-off final.

Dick said: “The thing that I think hurts most about last season is we were so close, obviously all the way with Dundee United, and I think the Christmas period is what really killed us.

"As much as we still managed to pick up points, that sort of derailed us and I don't ever think we got back up to the heights at the start of the season which is obviously really difficult.

"In that first half of the season I think it was incredible, unbelievable almost with the last minute goals, the positions we were in.

"Like when we were away to Queen's Park and winning with a last minute penalty with ten men when we were getting beat.

"I think it's a shame we missed out, because we'd put so much into it.

"The scoreline in the play-off final dampened the whole thing. It felt like people were probably saying the gap was massive and if we had come up we probably just would have gone right back down again.

"But look at Dundee United, who only got there by six points and they're doing incredibly this season.”

Dick and his Raith mates will get a break from Championship duties this Saturday as they visit Celtic in a Scottish Cup fifth-round tie which kicks off at 5.30pm.