After what feels like forever in Cup action, we return to league duty before the Christmas break as we head to North Ayrshire & Barrfields. We take on Largs Thistle for our 13th WOSFL Premier Division match of the season.
β½οΈ Largs Thistle versus Troon F.C.β½οΈ
Saturday 16th December 2023
PDM Huws Gray WOSFL Premier Division
Barrfields, Largs
Kick-off 1.30pm
Inconsistency has been the watchword for Troon this season, with good wins followed up by frustrating performances. But after a long run on the road, we have enjoyed two home Cup matches with two wins in front of our own supporters & the form is looking up. Last Saturday was a strong performance, in the first half particularly, so still cause for optimism.
Last season was rosy up at Barrfields; a 6th placed finish in the Premier Division, Manager Stuart Davidson signed on a new contract until 2025 and a young & hungry squad settled for the new campaign. But this season hasn’t gone as smoothly as before, with some up & down results tallied with injuries to key players. Their record against Troon is good over recent seasons however, so Arnie will strongly fancy his chances as favourites for this weekend’s clash.
Hereβs everything you need to know ahead of Saturdayβs matchβ¦
The squad is starting to return to shape, ahead of an important run of fixtures.
Dean Fulton returned to the starting line-up at Auchinleck after missing a few weeks with a groin injury, although he will need to be managed carefully in the next few matches to avoid a recurrence. Ewan McLevy & Kori Howard sat out last week with minor knocks & Jack Marks was cup-tied last week, whereas Jack Sherrie (ankle) is stepping up his rehabilitation under Darrell’s watch & is starting to eye a return.
That was a hard one to take last weekend, we were absolutely superb in the first half & there was only one team in it. But definitely a lesson in taking your chances, I saw Richard described it on the socials as “a game of two halves – unfortunately Talbot scored more in their half” and that’s the reality. It’s about being the best over 90 minutes & not conceding silly goals. But we need to be more clinical when we’re on top in games, that’s for sure.
We haven’t had a great record against Largs in recent times, Arnie will certainly feel like he has the hex over us at the moment. And yet it’s only a few years since the shoe was on the other foot, so it just shows how things are cyclical in football. We just need to be prepared to match the work & the discipline we will face on Saturday as a minimum, and take our chances.
It’s becoming a clichΓ© perhaps, but: it’s all about us & what we do.
Jimmy Kirkwood (Manager)
| Full Name | Largs Thistle Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | Theesel |
| Founded | 1889 |
| Ground | Barrfields, Largs |
| Capacity | 4,500 |
| Chairman | Alistair McMaster |
| Manager | Stuart Davidson |
| Captain | Stuart Faulds |
| 2022-23 | WOSFL Premier Division, 6th from 16 |
β½οΈοΈ JOE WILTON β½οΈ
The 27 year old goalkeeper joined Largs in the summer after leaving Kilbirnie Ladeside & he has proven to be a very safe pair of hands.
Having joined up at the Blasties after leaving BSC Glasgow (now Broomhill) in 2017, he is rapidly showing himself to be one of the top keepers in the division.
β½οΈοΈ SCOTT ADAM β½οΈ
He may be 34 now, but Scott still causes defenders all sorts of headaches with his hold-up play & aerial ability.
Began his Junior career with Ardrossan Winton Rovers before spells with Kirkintilloch Rob Roy, Hurlford United & Glenafton Athletic, Scott always seems to pop up with a goal against Troon.
Β© Thanks to our club photographer Graeme McKenzie for his photos – amazing, as always!
Largs Thistle
| LOST | LOST | WON | LOST | LOST |
| 3-1 | 2-2 (Pens 0-3) | 2-0 | 1-2 | 1-0 |
| Glenafton Athletic (A) | Lochee United (H) | Johnstone Burgh (H) | Ashfield (H) | Auchinleck Talbot (A) |
| Sat 9th December | Sat 2nd December | Sat 25th November | Sat 18th November | Weds 15th November |
| WOSFL Cup (Round 3) | Scottish Junior Cup | WOSFL Cup (Round 2) | South Challenge Cup | WOSFL Premier |
Troon F.C.
| LOST | WON | WON | LOST | LOST |
| 4-1 | 5-1 | 3-2 | 4-3 | 2-1 |
| Auchinleck Talbot (A) | Girvan (H) | Thornton Hibs (H) | Cumnock (A) | Kirkintilloch Rob Roy (A) |
| Sat 9th December | Sat 25th November | Sat 18th November | Weds 15th November | Sat 11th November |
| WOSFL Cup (Round 3) | WOSFL Cup (Round 2) | South Challenge Cup | WOSFL Premier | WOSFL Premier |
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 (I’m not calling it X yet):
- 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
Largs Thistle had the better of the two encounters last season, lifting the maximum 6 points from our league matches in 2022-23 by the odd goal in each game.
In a tight first encounter of last season at Barrfields, a really hard-fought encounter looked to be playing out to a draw, only for the towering Connor McGoldrick to power home an injury time winner to send Troon heading home deflated.
The return match in March under the Portland Park floodlights was yet another close encounter. Sam Jamieson cancelled out Scott Adam’s opener after Dean Fulton had seen red early on, only for Laurie McMaster’s winner to be the difference between the sides.
(before this week’s matches)
| REFEREE: | ||
| Stuart Broadfoot | ||
| Assistant Referee 1: | Assistant Referee 2: | |
| David Flanigan | Murrie Robertson |
| Referee Observer: | Kevin Toner |
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There will be no official supporterβs bus this week.
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π STAGECOACH.com
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π SCOTRAIL.co.uk
Tickets are available at the turnstiles at Barrfields:
| Adult: | Β£9.00 |
| Concession: | Β£5.00 |
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.
β½οΈ Troon F.C. versus Hurlford Unitedβ½οΈ
Friday 29th December 2023
PDM Huws Gray WOSFL Premier Division
Portland Park, Troon
Kick-off 7.30pm