RHU Amateurs will get a rare opportunity to play at an SPFL venue next weekend when they travel to Fife for the next stage of their Scottish Amateur Cup journey.

The club announced this week that their fifth round tie against Greig Park Rangers will be played at Bayview Stadium, home of East Fife FC.

But they’ve warned supporters who would like to travel to the tie in Methil that spaces on the bus are filling up fast.

The game will take place on Saturday, February 3, kicking off at 1pm, with Rhu set to face a Greig Park side who currently lie three points clear at the top of the Kingdom of Fife AFA Premier League and who normally play in Windygates, three and a half miles away.

While Rhu have never played at New Bayview before, it’s been a regular away day for Burgh-based supporters of Dumbarton FC, most recently in a League Two clash in November, when an early goal from Kalvin Orsi was enough to earn Sons a 1-0 win.

Located next to the north shore of the Firth of Forth, the ground – home to East Fife since 1998 after the club relocated from their original Bayview Park home elsewhere in the town – was built on derelict land close to Methil Docks and the Methil Power Station, though the latter was demolished in 2011. 

With only a single stand along the west side of the pitch, capable of holding 1,980 supporters, it can be susceptible to winds blowing in from the Firth, though since the installation of a 3G artificial pitch in 2017 the playing surface at the ground – originally known as ‘New Bayview’, to avoid confusion with the club’s former home – is at least no longer susceptible to rain.

The bus for Rhu’s players and supporters to next Saturday’s cup tie will leave Helensburgh at 9.30am. If you’d like to reserve a seat, get in touch with the club via the ‘Rhu Amateurfc’ page on Facebook.

Meanwhile, following their Scottish Cup heroics against Easterhouse on January 13, Rhu’s Caledonian League squad were brought back down to earth with a bump on their return to action on Saturday after falling to a 3-2 defeat at home to the First Division’s form team, Glasgow University.

The visitors took the lead with a close range tap-in on 15 minutes after Rhu keeper Craig Gemmell parried a shot, and though Shaun Wallace levelled the game – which was played at Hermitage Academy after the wintry weather put Ardenconnel Park out of action – five minutes before the interval, the visitors, who came into the game off the back of three straight wins against Rothesay, Cambria and Stenhousemuir, were back in front almost straight away.

Danny Johns’ header midway through the second half brought Rhu back on terms for a second time, but again parity was short-lived, with a close range finish for the visitors 10 minutes later earning them a fourth victory in a row

A Rhu spokesperson said afterwards: “We weren’t at the races today and were punished by a decent side.”

Like a long wait for a bus, Rhu’s Caledonian League squad will get another opportunity to play at an SPFL venue in their next match on Saturday, January 27 – this time Ochilview Park, as they travel to face Stenhousemuir Community AFC in the first round of the Douglas Smith League Cup.

The tie kicks off at 2pm, with a home match against Premier Division leaders Giffnock North awaiting the winners in round two.

Rhu Colts were left kicking their heels on Saturday after their scheduled Glasgow Colleges FA league game against Glasgow Medics fell victim to the weather.

The club’s Colts squad are again set to be idle this weekend – though this time it’s a scheduled free Saturday as most of the league’s clubs compete in the first round of the GCFA Cup.

The Colts’ next game, and their first fixture of 2024, is due to be at home to Rosebank United on Saturday, February 3.