It’s the big one this weekend! A cracker is in store as WOSFL Premier Division sides Hurlford & Troon go head-to-head in the Scottish Junior Cup at Hurlford’s Blair Park.
β½οΈ Hurlford United versus Troon F.C.β½οΈ
Saturday 3rd December 2022
Clydebuilt Home Improvements Scottish Junior Cup (Round 4)
Blair Park, Hurlford
Kick-off 1.30pm
After last Saturday’s disappointing performance & result at Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, Troon will be delighted to get back to the Cup this weekend, where our form this season has been excellent.
Jimmy Kirkwoodβs men made it into the 4th round of the Scottish Junior Cup after victories over Ardrossan Winton Rovers, Fraserburgh United & Blantyre Victoria and have only conceded 1 goal with 11 scored. However, they will be expecting an entirely different proposition in this weekend’s all-Premier Division face-off. But with passage to the 4th round of the South Challenge Cup & the 2nd round of the West safely assured, a very exciting season could yet be in store for the Seasider’s.
Hurlford needed penalties to see off Arbroath Victoria in the 3rd round, after a 7-0 thrashing of Dundee Downfield in the 2nd round having received a bye in the first round. Their league form has been exceptional this season however, sitting second behind Darvel at the summit of the WOSFL.
Hereβs everything you need to know ahead of Saturdayβs matchβ¦
Jaime Gallagher returns from suspension, having missed last Saturday’s defeat at Kirkintilloch Rob Roy and will likely return to the midfield. Mark Morrison & Josh Black will feature as well, their dismissal’s last weekend meaning a suspension in the next league match (at Cumnock). Ben Black remains a doubt after being forced off early following a nasty challenge which resulted in a red card for Alex Riddock against St Cuthbert Wanderers, but Logan Smith has had a setback with his hip complaint & is now set to be on the sidelines until the New Year.
Some game in store this weekend, the players & the coaches are really looking forward to it & so should the fans be. And quite rightly so.
The form we have been in during our Cup matches this season gives us confidence, but that is checked when you consider Blair Park to not be the happiest of hunting grounds for us in recent years. We seem to have the better of the results at Portland, Hurlford have it their way at their own patch & Darren will no doubt be keen for that to continue.
To get the result we want this weekend, we have to be at our best to a man & hit the level of performance we’ve shown this season already.
Jimmy Kirkwood (Manager)
β½οΈοΈΒ MARTIN McDONALDΒ β½οΈ
25 year old βGingeβ is fast becoming one of the most reliable last line of defences in the Premier Division, with some rock steady performances for the βFord. Most notably, a starring role in the penalty shoot-out as they lifted the inaugural West of Scotland Cup at Towhead Park in June. When we saw online that ‘Ford had gone to penalties at Arbroath in the last round, you just expected the big man to produce the goods.
Having joined up at Blair Park from Irvine Victoria in the summer of 2019, he has seen off stiff competition to replace Ally Brown as Darren Hendersonβs undisputed number 1.
β½οΈοΈΒ CRAIG REIDΒ β½οΈ
Craig may be 36 now, but he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down on the park, where he has been excellent for Darren Henderson’s men since his summer switch from Champions Darvel.
Made his name as a full-back, most notably with Queen of the South, Morton & Motherwell (where he scored THAT goal!), he is most often found at the heart of the back four nowadays & has been marshalling the ‘Ford back line superbly in recent weeks.
Hurlford United
| WIN | v | Petershill | (A) | 1-2 | Saturday 26th November | WOSFL Premier Division |
| WIN | v | Largs Thistle | (A) | 1-3 | Saturday 12th November | WOSFL Cup |
| DRAW | v | Glenafton Athletic | (A) | 1-1 | Wednesday 9th November | WOSFL Premier Division |
| LOST | v | Cambuslang Rangers | (H) | 0-1 | Saturday 5th November | WOSFL Premier Division |
| WIN | v | Arbroath Victoria | (A) | 0-0 | Saturday 29th October | Scottish Junior Cup |
Troon F.C.
| LOST | v | Kirkintilloch Rob Roy | (A) | 2-0 | Saturday 26th November | WOSFL Premier Division |
| WIN | v | St Cuthbert Wanderers | (H) | 6-0 | Saturday 19th November | South Challenge Cup |
| WIN | v | Glasgow Perthshire | (H) | 4-2 | Saturday 12th November | WOSFL Cup |
| LOST | v | Largs Thistle | (A) | 1-0 | Saturday 5th November | WOSFL Premier Division |
| WIN | v | Blantyre Victoria | (A) | 0-3 | Saturday 29th October | Scottish Junior Cup |
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 Saturday’s matches)
Referee: Sean Murdoch
Assistant Referee One: Louis McIntosh
Assistant Referee Two: Nathan Deane
Referee Observer: To be appointed
π π¦π¨π£π£π’π₯π§ππ₯π¦ ππ¨π¦ π
Due to the close proximity of the match this weekend, there is no official supporterβs bus travelling to Hurlford.
π π§π₯ππ©ππ ππ¬ ππ¨π¦ π
π STAGECOACH.com
π π§π₯ππ©ππ ππ¬ π§π₯πππ‘ π
π SCOTRAIL.co.uk
Tickets are available at the turnstiles at Blair Park:
| Adult: | Β£8.00 |
| Concession: | Β£4.00 |
| Under-16: | Β£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.
The Development Team are back on league duty this week for matchday 12, as they head to Barrhead High School on Friday night.
β½οΈ NeilstonΒ versus Troon Development Team β½οΈ
Friday 2nd December 2022
Sense over Sectarianism Scottish Lowland Development Football League (West Conference F)
Barrhead High School, Barrhead
Kick-off 8pm
Head along & support the Troon stars of tomorrow!
β½οΈ Troon F.C.Β versus Ashfield β½οΈ
Saturday 10th December 2022
West of Scotland Football League Cup (Round 2)
Portland Park, Troon
Kick-off 1.30pm