Dylan Easton believed his own hype as a youngster and dreamed of playing at Ibrox and Celtic Park
But after stop-offs at Dumbarton, Elgin, Forfar and Kelty, he realised what it takes to do it for real. The 28-year-old will be a key man for Raith Rovers against Rangers today in their Scottish Cup quarter-final tie.
A decade ago, he was one of the most prodigious talents in the country. A move to top-flight side St Johnstone should have been the springboard for a career in the Premiership. But Easton admits he was a big-time Charlie and didn’t put in the graft to match his undoubted ability. A few years ago, he’d resigned himself to playing part-time football. But working under Ibrox legend Barry Ferguson changed his attitude. And hooking up with another former Rangers player in Ian Murray at Airdrie took his game to another level.
Easton was League One’s Player of the Year last season and followed his gaffer to Raith in the summer. The forward says that failure to fulfil his potential is an everyday regret.
But he still hasn’t given up hope of reaching Scotland’s top league before he hangs up his boots. He said: “When I was younger I thought I’d be playing at Ibrox all the time. But that attitude is probably what stopped me from doing it.
“There was a lot of hype about me when I was young in terms of how good I was. I was tipped for big things. But that got to my head and I came across as big time. I wouldn’t go into training at St Johnstone and came up with daft excuses. I thought I was destined for big things so taking a day off here and there wouldn’t matter.
“Tommy Wright sat me down loads of times and gave me chances. But I was a big-time boy away from the club. I thought they’d never release me – but I was wrong.
“It bites me every day because I could have been playing at a high level. Every day I look back at going to St Johnstone and think: ‘What an opportunity you had.’ It kicks me in the bum at times.
“But I’ve still got time, I’m only 28. I want to play at the highest level I can go to. I’m loving it at Raith and promotion would be amazing. But if not, I want to push myself and feel I’m capable of playing at Premiership level.”
Easton grew up in a Celtic-supporting family but he’ll always be grateful for the influence of Ibrox icon Ferguson in his climb back up the SPFL divisions. He said: “Barry helped me massively. I worked with him for a short period of time at Clyde and loved every minute of it.
“When Fergie got the Kelty job and spoke to me, it was a no-brainer. He’s not for everyone. He’s demanding and players felt nervous and under pressure with him as gaffer. But he was the best for me and I loved it.
“He urged me to get back up the leagues and be at the level I should be. My family are all huge Celtic fans so I watched them growing up. Back then, he was at his peak at Rangers.
“He was ridiculous. He used to join in at training with Kelty. The way he pinged a ball was incredible. His passing was perfect 99 times out of 100. That’s how he got the best out of boys.”
At Raith, Easton says he’s working with a top manager in Murray, who can help the Kirkcaldy club pull off a major shock today against Michael Beale’s men.
He said: “The gaffer is brilliant – he’s the best I’ve played for. We can’t go toe-to-toe with Rangers at Ibrox so the manager will have a game plan to frustrate them. We have to try to not concede early then take it from there. It’s cup football – there’s always an upset.”
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