Hurlford United Match Preview – Troon Football Club

Troon look forward to one of the more popular local derbies, as Darren Henderson brings his Hurlford the short journey down the road to Portland Park on Saturday for our 19th WOSFL Premier Division match of the season.

⚽️ Troon F.C. versus Hurlford United ⚽️
Saturday 4th March 2023
PDM Buildbase WOSFL Premier Division
Portland Park, Troon
Kick-off 2pm

Troon come into this weekend’s game in confident mood, hot on the heels of back-to-back wins over Pollok and Arthurlie which have moved the Seasiders up the table.

Jimmy Kirkwood’s men have put a wretched run of results behind them with three wins out of the last four in the league, and with the supporters starting to look up the table the Manager is still cautious of getting ahead of ourselves and is targeting 6 wins out of our last 12 matches to secure our Premier Division status for next season.

Hurlford began the campaign in terrific form, sitting in 2nd and 3rd for a lot of the early part of the season before a slight dip in form has seen them drawn back into the mid-table scrap, where 3 points can be the difference between 4th place & 10th in this crazy, crazy league this season.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s match…

Darrell has been a busy man in the treatment room of late, with plenty of knocks & niggles to treat after a run of tough matches, but we look to be getting back to what resembles a full squad again. Or, as close to it as we can get at this stage of the season.

Jamie McKernon made his debut for the club as an early substitute against Arthurlie, while Stephen Wilson made a shock return from the hip injury he suffered against Ashfield, which looked to have ended his season. Michael Aitken has returned to parent club Livingston.

Dale Moore has an ankle issue, as has Raymond Montgomerie, and both will be missing for a few weeks still as they rehabilitate. Ewan McLevy misses out with a knee knock suffered against Rob Roy, but he is hoped to return in the next week or two.

Was a good weekend for us last week, and no more than the players have deserved. We have felt in a number of games that we put everything into it & played well, but didn’t get the rewards, so it’s great to see them getting the win & really enjoying it. I may have sounded like a stuck record recently, but just glad the boys have really bought into what we’ve been doing & hopefully we’ve turned a wee corner.

Different proposition this week, Darren will have Hurlford ready to strike back after the weekend. But the win against Darvel is a sharp reminder of just what they’re capable of, so expecting another close encounter on Saturday, as it always is between the two teams.

I mentioned how glad I was that the boys have really bought into what we’re doing, we are delighted to be getting most of our boys signed up already on new contracts for next season. We feel we have an excellent young squad at the club, and with a bit more experience together & an addition or two, we really feel this squad is capable of something.

Exciting times ahead!

Jimmy Kirkwood (Manager)

Full Name	Hurlford United Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Ford
Founded	1912
Ground	Blair Park, Hurlford
Capacity	2,005
Secretary	Clark Nicol
Manager	Darren Henderson
Captain	Paul McKenzie
2021-22	WOSFL Premier Division, 6th of 20

⚽️️ CARTER FREW ⚽️

In a defence with experienced campaigners like Chris Robertson, Craig Reid & Chris McKnight, young Carter has done really well to stand out with some assured displays in the past 18 months.

The 21 year old began his career with St. Mirren as a youth, but signed on at Blair Park in the summer of 2021 & has impressed ever since. Comfortable at either centre-back or at full-back, he is certainly one to watch in the coming years.

⚽️️ PAUL McKENZIE ⚽️

A club legend at the Ford, “Taz” was listed as Hurlford’s Player of the Decade after 8 years at Blair Park since joining from Glenafton Athletic. Indeed, he is celebrating his testimonial this season.

Formerly a winger, Taz is now a midfield general and has scored in two Scottish Cup finals & has a full set of cup winners medals.

Troon F.C.

WON	v	Arthurlie	(A)	1-2	Saturday 25^th February	WOSFL Premier Division
WON	v	Pollok	(H)	1-0	Saturday 22^nd February	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Kirkintilloch Rob Roy	(H)	0-2	Saturday 11^th February	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Cumnock	(A)	2-2 (4-2)	Saturday 4^th February	South Challenge Cup R4
WON	v	Glenafton Athletic	(H)	3-0	Wednesday 1^st February	WOSFL Premier Division

Hurlford United

LOST	v	Kirkintilloch Rob Roy	(A)	2-1	Saturday 25^th February	WOSFL Premier Division
WON	v	Darvel	(A)	0-1	Wednesday 22^nd February	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Irvine Meadow XI	(H)	0-1	Saturday 18^th February	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Cumnock	(H)	1-2	Saturday 11^th February	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Pollok	(H)	0-4	Saturday 4^th February	WOSFL Premier Division

If you can’t make it along to the game , you can keep up to date with all the latest info via the club’s social media channels:

Live updates from the official Troon F.C. Twitter feed: @Troon_FC

Team news pre-match
Goal alerts
News flashes
Real time alerts

Match news via the official Troon F.C. Facebook page

Team news pre-match
Half-time score & update
Full time results

In our first encounter of last season, Troon ran out the victors in a close match at Portland Park, a Ryan Nisbet strike being the difference between the two sides in September.

The return match in April was a thrilling affair, a Marc McKenzie strike looked like giving the hosts the win at Blair Park before an injury time Tommy Maitland equaliser sparked wild scenes amongst the visiting support.

(before this week’s matches)

Referee: Chris Hughes
Assistant Referee One: Ryan McPhail
Assistant Referee Two: Jarod Kearney

Referee Observer: To be appointed

For travelling supporters, have a look at our “How to get to Portland Park” page for directions and helpful tips.

PLEASE REMEMBER!

Portland Park is still a work in progress, as the ground work continues towards getting “Portland Park” licence ready. Please see the article below & follow the guidance for safe passage around the ground.

Floodlight work continues

Tickets are available at the turnstiles at Portland Park:

Adult:	£8.00
Concession:	£4.00
Under-16:	FREE

Season Tickets are valid for this game.

A detailed match report will be posted in the match centre after the game, with the team line-ups, scorers & bookings on the specific match page for the fixture.

To visit the match centre, CLICK HERE.

The social club at Portland Park will be open from 12pm ahead of the 2pm kick-off, and supporters of both clubs are very welcome. And, indeed, neutrals!

📺 Come early & stay late – enjoy the football on the big screen! 📺

⏰ 12.30pm	Manchester City v Newcastle United	(FA Premier League) ⚽️
⏰ 5.30pm	Southampton v Leicester City	(FA Premier League) ⚽️

The bar will close following the conclusion of the 5.30pm match.

Scott will be selling tickets for our half-time draw at the gate before kick-off, and inside the ground throughout the first half for just 50p a ticket.

Our local resident food truck, SCRAN have our hungry supporters covered with their own take on “Football Food” – highly recommended!

They will be open from 10am on Saturday & will be open right through the match til the evening, selling a variety of hot food & drinks as well as cold drinks.