Beith Match Preview – Troon Football Club

It’s the hardest of challenges this weekend, as we head to North Ayrshire to visit the Champions-elect Beith for our 26th WOSFL Premier Division match of the season.

⚽️ Beith versus Troon F.C.⚽️
Saturday 22nd April 2023
PDM Buildbase WOSFL Premier Division
Bellsdale Park, Beith
Kick-off 2pm

Troon come into this weekend’s game in a reasonable position in the league, but off the back of a difficult few matches where the performances have been good but the wins have not been flowing.

Jimmy Kirkwood’s men were one of the division’s form sides with five wins in a row, culminating in a devastating 4-1 victory over Darvel at Portland Park, but are now looking at only 1 win in our last 5 matches. Despite our comfortable position, the Manager is seeking 2 wins out of our last 5 matches to secure our position in next season’s Premier Division.

Beith have been on fire this season & look nailed on for their first WOSFL Premier Division title, following a fine run of form that has led them to the summit of the table ahead of the much-fancied Darvel & Auchinleck Talbot. A 2-1 win at Beechwood Park last time out has only served to confirm their credentials.

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.

Ben Black is an absentee after being stretchered off against Auchinleck Talbot last week. He has had stitches in a knee wound & will be missing for a few weeks.

Dean Fulton & Jack Sherrie both return after completing two match suspensions. Ewan McLevy & Dale Moore have both returned in recent games without any adverse reaction, which is a great boost for the team at a vital stage of the season, but Raymond Montgomerie’s ankle injury appears to be worse than first suspected & he needs minor surgery which would likely end his season.

I suppose it’s a measure of how well we’ve been playing & how far we’ve come this season that I’m disappointed to only get a draw away to Auchinleck Talbot, but that’s where I feel we are just now. We should have been a couple of goals to the good before half-time last week, and although Talbot came back in the second half, I thought a draw was a better result for them than it was for us over the piece.

We had a frustrating match against Beith at Portland back in January. We gifted them a goal in the early stages & were comfortably the better side for the remainder of the match, but we just couldn’t find the breakthrough. And that’s where we all have to congratulate Beith this season, they found a way to win when they maybe weren’t on top and so that has to be to their credit. We just need to heed that warning & try not to fall foul of it again.

Jimmy Kirkwood (Manager)

Full Name	Beith Juniors Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Cabes or The Mighty
Founded	1938
Ground	Bellsdale Park, Beith
Capacity	2,200
President	Danny Shearer
Manager	Chris Strain
Captain	Paul Frize
2021-22	WOSFL Premier Division, 11th of 20

⚽️️ JOSH FOWLER ⚽️

Certainly Beith’s form man, and one of the top scorers in the Premier Division this season, as Josh has chalked up a whopping 18 goals in 20 games in all competitions this term.

Formerly with St. Cadoc’s & Johnstone Burgh, Josh joined from St. Anthony’s & has been used on either wing, but he has been devastating through the middle under Chris Strain this campaign.

⚽️️ CARLO MONTI ⚽️

An absolute Rolls-Royce of a footballer, Carlo has all too often been the thorn in a Troon side whether it be with Beith, Kilwinning or Pollok.

Quite often used out wide since his move to Bellsdale, Carlo’s wand of a left foot is a real threat cutting in off the flank.

Beith

WON	v	Auchinleck Talbot	(A)	1-2	Monday 10^th April	WOSFL Premier Division
WON	v	Irvine Meadow XI	(A)	1-2	Friday 7^th April	WOSFL Premier Division
WON	v	Arthurlie	(H)	7-1	Saturday 1^st April	WOSFL Premier Division
WON	v	Clydebank	(A)	0-1	Friday 24^th March	WOSFL Premier Division
WON	v	Glenafton Athletic	(A)	1-2	Saturday 4^th March	WOSFL Premier Division

Troon F.C.

DREW	v	Auchinleck Talbot	(A)	1-1	Wednesday 12^th April	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Pollok	(A)	5-3	Saturday 1^st April	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Largs Thistle	(H)	1-2	Friday 24^th March	WOSFL Premier Division
WON	v	Darvel	(H)	4-1	Saturday 18^th March	WOSFL Premier Division
LOST	v	Cumnock	(A)	4-2	Wednesday 15^th March	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

It was very much honours even between the teams last season, with two draws

In the first encounter in August, a dour 0-0 was played out in front of a healthy crowd with two cagey teams cancelling each other out.

By the time of the return encounter in March, there was a feeling that both teams had done enough to avoid the dreaded drop, with 7 teams being relegated, and an entertaining 2-2 draw was on display, goals from Dean Fulton & Sam Jamieson cancelling out Jordan Duffy & Kenny McLean goals before Duffy & Jack Sherrie saw red in the closing minutes.

(before this week’s matches)

Referee:	Ryan Kennedy
Assistant Referee:	Elliott Husband Powton
Assistant Referee:	Ryan O’Neill

Referee Observer:	To be appointed

For travelling supporters, follow the Google Map below for directions to Bellsdale Park.

🚌 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗕𝗨𝗦 🚌

Due to the close proximity, there will be no official supporter’s bus this week.

🚍 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗟 𝗕𝗬 𝗕𝗨𝗦 🚏

To plan your journey from Troon to Beith, visit the “Journey Planner” section of Stagecoach’s website.

🔗 STAGECOACH.com

🚝 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗟 𝗕𝗬 𝗧𝗥𝗔𝗜𝗡 🚉

For train times from Troon to Beith, or to book tickets, visit Scotrail’s website.

🔗 SCOTRAIL.co.uk

Tickets are available at the turnstiles at Bellsdale Park:

Adult:	£8.00
Concession:	£4.00

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.