If the intoxicating spirit of Scottish football was distilled into its very essence, it would surely carry the bouquet of the Rosey Posey. This is a club that epitomises the good of fitba’. It sits in the middle of a housing estate, emphasising its physical link to the community, it is run carefully and sensibly without recourse to sugar daddies or mummies, it has a history of strife and glory, and on a Saturday it shakes to the roars of hundreds of supporters. It has climbed the pyramid, fuelled by sporting spirit and financial nous.

It also has a slope. This, of course, was once almost mandatory in the Scottish game. But in the days of licences and regulations, New Dundas Park tilts to a degree which has been deemed unacceptable. The SPFL has decreed that the pitch must be levelled by 40cms, 16 inches in old money. This will cost between £120,000 and £180,000, a highly significant sum for a small club. Six points have also been deducted, again a draconian punishment when the peril of becoming club 42 in the pyramid opens the trapdoor to the abyss.

The Rosey Posey have reacted by winning on the pitch, doing so on Tuesday against Stranraer and Saturday against Clyde, and off the pitch by launching both a drive to raise money and a response to the concerns of the authorities. Marie Arthur, interim chairperson, sits in her modest office in a hut and points out that an update has been sent to the SPFL and a ‘full and robust’ tender process has already been launched, with work expected to be started after the last game of the season.

Bonnyrigg were deducted six points in November because of the slope at their home ground. The gradient at New Dundas Park has made Bonnyrigg's ground a must-visit for football fans. Bonnyrigg defied an unlevel playing field to get the better of League Two rivals Clyde. She points out that £70,000 has already been raised. This is short of the expected costs but the club is confident that the community will rally round with several fundraising events still to take place.

The hardy bucket makes an appearance on matchdays and such as Neil Lennon, there to watch son, Gallagher, on loan at Bonnyrigg, have already made donations. ‘We live within our means,’ says Arthur. ‘The sanctions were a shock. The points have been a hard one to take. We could end up club 42 but we believe the team has that drive and fire in their bellies to avoid that.’. She adds: ‘The fundraising is going very well. And that is the community. Whenever we have needed our supporters, they have always been there for us. This is truly the heart and soul of Bonnyrigg.’.

The club has sent a full report to the SPFL. ‘I am very confident about what we have submitted,’ says Arthur. Rose lost their chairman — the legendary Charlie Kirkwood — just five days before the sanctions were imposed. ‘The club that he saved many years ago goes on,’ says Arthur with quiet determination. Brendan Parkinson, who helped Kirkwood save the club in 2009, stands on the terrace roaring on the Posey. An Irishman, he came to Bonnyrigg 20 years ago and eventually became immersed in the club.

‘I roped Charlie into this,’ he says of his friend who passed away in November. Neil Lennon was an interested observer, turning up to watch his son Gallagher play for Rose. Interim chair Marie Arthur says that the repair work will begin at the end of the current season. Rose have an illustrious history in the Junior game and have had a rapid rise as a senior club. ‘We were talking about survival then. I would have been delighted if we had no money then. The truth is that we had significantly less than no money.’.

It took four years to achieve an even keel. Success on the pitch followed. It was spectacular. Promotion to the SPFL was achieved just over a decade from the threat of extinction. Parkinson was central to this reinvigoration though he will not say so. He is, though, a gently inspiring figure. He has stepped back from the board but not from the fray. He is involved in Bonnyrigg’s attempt to address the latest crisis.

Is he confident that all will be well?. ‘Absolutely. No doubt about it,’ he says. ‘The SPFL and the SFA are there to help. That is their role and Marie is doing that by keeping them in touch with our plans,’ he says. He acknowledges the scale of the task but is not daunted by it: ‘We are self-sufficient as a club and we don’t we don’t have mystery benefactors. Anything we raise has to be through hard graft.’.

The fixture list for supporters now contains some odd entries. The Anvil Inn is hosting a country night on February 21, the 1881 Club had a pie and a pint event on Saturday, the Rose Glitz and Goals Glamour dinner is at the Kings Acre Golf Course clubhouse on March 15, and the Rose Cocktail is on sale at Luci’s Restaurant. The town has mobilised to raise cash and Sara Fitzsimmons, who co-founded the charity Simba in 2005, is using her expertise to marshal resources.