After only our second home match in six competitive matches, we are back on the road as we head to Bellsdale Park and our first Lowland League encounter with our friends at Beith for our 6th Scottish Lowland Football League match of the season.
⚽️ Beith Juniors versus Troon F.C. ⚽️
Saturday 22nd August 2026
Scottish Lowland Football League (West)
Bellsdale Park, Beith
Kick-off 3pm
Wednesday night’s match was cause for optimism, such was the nature of the performance and the result. A comfortable 2-0 win looked more like the Troon side we saw last season, and it should be of no surprise that coincides with the return of injured or absent players.
With numerous holidays & injuries affecting the squad numbers, as well as seven new signings trying to bed themselves in, it has been an up and down start to the season after high hopes in the summer. But we have looked much more like ourselves in the last three or four games and we are not only up to mid-table in the league but into the next round of the South Challenge Cup already. With players returning to the squad every day, things are certainly looking up.
Beith were not being considered by the pundits at the start of the season, but new manager John Hughes does not mind being the underdog one bit – and they have enjoyed proving the cynics wrong with a superb start to the season so far, albeit Wednesday night’s result will have shaken the confidence somewhat. A number of new summer signings have gelled together really well so far, and the Bellsdale faithful are enjoying their football a little bit more.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s match…
Saturday & Wednesday night were the first times we had approaching a full compliment of players this season, and we can now start to see how the squad is shaping up for the season ahead.
Forward Jack Allan returned to the pitch as a second half substitute on Wednesday following his inury in pre-season against Auchinleck Talbot, while defender Stephen Bronsky returns from suspension for this Saturday’s match, after our appeal against his controversial sending-off at Clydebank was rejected by the Scottish FA.
Leyton Dunlop is targeting a return against Cumbernauld Colts next weekend now he has re-joined training at full tilt with the rest of the squad.
It was great to see Club Captain Mark Morrison taking part in the warm-up on Saturday with the rest of the squad after more than a year out, he is hoping to get the all-clear to return to training when he visits the hospital physio this week following successful hip surgery in the summer. Jack Sherrie is awaiting the pre-op ahead of a date for surgery on his ACL injury.
Delighted to get the 3 points on Wednesday, I think it’s safe to say we’re now up and running for the season.
It’s a bit of an old cliché that the league is a marathon and not a sprint, but it’s very much the truth. We had a very difficult start in terms of fixtures, and with most of them away from home as well, so when you add that to our personnel issues then it’s no surprise we maybe didn’t get off to a flying start. But I think you’re starting to see the real us now. Now, as much as I wasn’t getting too stressed about a stuttering start, it would be hypocritical of me now to be getting excited about a few wins. It’s great to see us back into our groove, but we need to focus and keep that run going.
We always enjoy our trips to Beith (although we didn’t enjoy our last trip!) so a visit to look forward to this weekend. Been a summer of real change at Bellsdale again, their new Manager John Hughes did a superb job at vale of Clyde so he’ll have arrived full of confidence with plans to progress. As long as that happens after this weekend, I wish him the best of luck. But if we need any incentive to head up there on Saturday it is to avenge the memory of May.
A special mention this week to one hugely important member of our backroom team. Johnny Sinclair and his wife Heather welcomed their first child on Monday afternoon, as Jack Sinclair was born. Congratulations to both of them, absolutely fantastic news & everyone at the club is delighted for them!
‘MON THE TROON!!
Jimmy Kirkwood (Team Manager)
| Full Name | Beith Juniors Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | The ‘Cabes or The Mighty |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Ground | Bellsdale Park, Beith |
| Capacity | 2,200 |
| Chairman | Gordon Irving |
| Manager | John Hughes |
| Captain | Thomas Collins |
| 2025-26 | WOSFL Premier Division, 11th from 16 |
⚽️️ THOMAS COLLINS ⚽️
“BoJo” as he’s affectionately known round Bellsdale, was the marquee signing of last season as he re-joined his old club in February for a third spell on a permanent basis from Lowland League side Clydebank following a prolonged period out through injury. He contributed 10 goals in 20 appearances last season following his return as he helped nudge Beith up the table towards the promotion spots.
The 29 year old began his career at Queens Park and joined Beith in the summer of 2015, scoring a penalty in the shoot-out win as they lifted the Scottish Junior Cup at Rugby Park. Some strong performances saw TC move up the leagues & he enjoyed spells at BSC Glasgow, East Fife & Stenhousemuir before he re-joined the WOSFL and Kilwinning Rangers. After two seasons, he headed to Holm Park & lifted the WOSFL Premier Division trophy in May 2025.
⚽️️ BLAIR RICHARDSON ⚽️
Blair is a familiar face to the Seasiders, after his spell at Portland Park a few seasons ago.
The centre-back enjoyed a spell on loan at Portland Park before signing up permanently in the summer of 2023 following the revolution at East Kilbride under their new Manager Mick Kennedy.
The centre-back is a product of the St. Mirren Youth Academy before joining the K-Park Youth system. Having graduated out of Martin Fellowes’ Development Team, and after a spell with Kevin Rutkiewicz’s first team, he spent a few months on loan at Johnstone Burgh to ready him for first-team football.
He departed Portland to head for Vale of Clyde, where he became part of the defence which progressed through the leagues under John Hughes, before following him to Bellsdale in the summer.
© Thanks to our club photographer Graeme McKenzie for his photos – fantastic, as always!
BEITH JUNIORS
Last 5 Matches
| 19th Aug | Auchinleck Talbot | 7-1 | Beith Juniors | Lowland League (West) |
| 15th Aug | Cowdenbeath | 2-0 | Beith Juniors | South Challenge Cup R1 |
| 8th August | Beith Juniors | 2-4 | Caledonian Braves | Lowland League (West) |
| 1st August | Kilwinning Rangers | 1-2 | Beith Juniors | Lowland League (West) |
| 29th July | Beith Juniors | 2-2 | Cumnock Juniors | Lowland League (West) |
TROON F.C.
Last 5 Matches
| 19th Aug | Troon F.C. | 2-0 | Renfrew | Lowland League (West) |
| 15th Aug | Fauldhouse United | 1-3 | Troon F.C. | South Challenge Cup R1 |
| 8th Aug | Clydebank | 3-2 | Troon F.C. | Lowland League (West) |
| 1st Aug | Troon F.C. | 4-1 | Gretna 2008 | Lowland League (West) |
| 29th July | Johnstone Burgh | 2-0 | Troon F.C. | Lowland League (West) |
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:
X / TWITTER
Live updates from the official Troon F.C. Twitter feed
Match news via the official Troon F.C. Facebook page
TIKTOK
Our newest addition! Watch some official Troon F.C. clips on our TikTok feed
All news on the club FIRST via the official Troon F.C. WhatsApp Supporter’s Group chat
It’s just as well the two clubs, teams, players & supporters get on well – not only did we face each other twice in the league last season, but we also drew each other in the Junior Cup & the West of Scotland Cup as well!
HOME LEAGUE MATCH
| TROON F.C. | 1-0 | BEITH JUNIORS |
| Portland Park, Troon | Saturday 9th August 2026 | WOSFL Premier Division |
The first encounter of four in 2025-26 was a narrow win for the Seasiders, making it four wins from four in what was their third home match in just ten days.
The winner came in the 21st minute, A Kieran MacDonald corner was initially well cleared by Scott Rumsby, but Leyton Dunlop kept the move alive and combined neatly with MacDonald to tee up Dario Viviani. The talented young midfielder whipped in a superb cross, where Lewis Lovering rose highest to power a header into the net against his former club.
That moment of quality proved the difference in an otherwise scrappy match. It was far from the free-flowing attacking football seen in recent matches, but the result underlined Troon’s growing maturity – finding a way to win when the game isn’t pretty. For Beith, it was a frustrating afternoon, but with a new-look squad and management team, they’ll look to regroup ahead of their first home league fixture next Saturday against Auchinleck Talbot.
AWAY LEAGUE MATCH
| BEITH JUNIORS | 5-0 | TROON F.C. |
| Bellsdale Park, Beith | Saturday 9th May 2026 | WOSFL Premier Division |
The return match in May was a disaster for Troon, as their faint tile hopes crashed at Bellsdale as Beith took advantage of their nerves on a vital day for their promotion hopes.
Beith struck first in bizarre fashion. Liam McGonigle tried his luck from distance with a speculative effort that looked routine enough for Dale Burgess, but the Troon supporters could only watch in horror as the ball squirmed underneath him and into the net to hand the hosts the lead. Tommy Sharp pounced on indecision in the visitors defence at a corner to make it two just before the interval.
With anything other than 3 points of no use to Troon, Manager Jimmy Kirkwood rolled the dice in ambitious fashion at half-time, opting for all-out attack. The visitors dominated possession after the restart and threw bodies forward in search of a route back into the contest, but their urgency left huge spaces at the back – and Beith punished them mercilessly.
Thomas Collins breakaway goal after 54 minutes burst the bubble, and another Sharp goal ended the contest. Max Brown’s amazing strike in the 66th minute killed it completely.
SCOTTISH COMMUNITIES CUP MATCH
| BEITH JUNIORS | 1-2 | TROON F.C. |
| Bellsdale Park, Beith | Saturday 20th September 2026 | Scottish Communities Cup R2 |
Troon edged a dramatic Scottish Communities Cup second-round tie away to Beith, late drama ensuring Jimmy Kirkwood’s men continued their fine start to the campaign with their eighth win in ten competitive outings.
The match sprang into life quickly. On just eight minutes, Stephen Docherty split the Beith defence with a perfectly timed through ball, and Kyle Gilroy showed great composure to race clear and finish smartly past the advancing goalkeeper to give the visitors the lead. Max Brown’s 45th minute sending off gave the Cabes an uphill task.
Beith reshuffled during the interval and came out fighting. They got their reward on 59 minutes when Adam Cummins rose highest to nod home McGonigle’s cross, levelling the tie. The decisive moment came in the dying minutes. Lovering picked up the ball wide, slalomed past four defenders in a superb solo run, and slipped in Jamieson. The returning striker showed a cool head, guiding the ball past Keaney in the Beith goal to spark jubilant scenes among the travelling support.
WOSFL CUP MATCH
| TROON F.C. | 0-0 (4-1 on pens) | BEITH JUNIORS |
| Portland Park, Troon | Saturday 10th January 2026 | West of Scotland Cup R4 |
The very first match of 2026 was a very forgettable encounter, and the 0-0 result was probably flattering on both teams.
The penalty shoot-out, however, was absolutely thrilling and gave a hint of what was to come last season in penalties for Troon. Ross Davidson’s opener was well-saved by Dale Burgess, before Leyton gave us the advantage. After Ross Smith’s effort was also saved, 17 year old Jack Allan confidently stepped up to smash home the winner and send us into the Quarter-Finals!
(before this week’s matches)
| REFEREE: | ||
| Gary Train | ||
| Assistant Referee 1: | Assistant Referee 2: | |
| Martin James Smith | Jamie Shepherd |
| Referee Observer: | To be confirmed |
For travelling supporters, our media team have put together a number of new “Supporter’s Travel Guides” for directions and helpful tips to an away day:
You can find out all about the match itself by visiting the match centre both before and 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.
⚽️ Troon F.C. versus Cumbernauld Colts ⚽️
Saturday 29th August 2026
Scottish Lowland Football League (West)
Portland Park, Troon
Kick-off 3pm