After 14 league matches, focus shifts back to the Cup competitions. And next up is everyone’s favourite, the Scottish Junior Cup! For our third round match, we welcome a team we haven’t faced in a number of years in Maryhill.
⚽️ Troon F.C. vs. Maryhill ⚽️
Wednesday 4th November 2026
Scottish Communities Cup Third Round
Portland Park, Troon
Kick-off 7.45pm
The supporters were looking for a better October than they had September, and they got exactly that! Five wins and a last-minute defeat (against in-form Largs) was a very respectable return from a taxing looking October for the Seasiders who look to have returned to the form of last season. But nobody should be getting carried away about a strong October, we still have ground to make up in the league for sure and are still fighting in four Cup competitions as well.
But, November is a brand new month…
Maryhill’s 2026-27 campaign in the WOSFL First Division has been a bit challenging so far. After earning promotion last season, the Glasgow side have struggled for consistency and have suffered a few significant defeats. Their results include a 3-2 away victory over Petershill and a 2-2 draw with Neilston, but losses against Bonnyton Thistle, Bellshill Athletic, Lesmahagow Juniors and Thorniewood United have highlighted defensive weaknesses. Saturday’s 7-0 defeat to Thorniewood will illicit a reaction for sure as Maryhill will be seeking a boost to help them climb the table.
N.B. Should the match be a draw after 90 minutes, the match will be decided from the penalty spot. A winner will be decided on the night. The 4th round draw has already been carried out, and the winner of this tie will host Auchinleck Talbot in the fourth round on a date yet to be agreed.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Wednesday night’s match…
We were celebrating having no injuries before Saturday, but that has been snuffed out after a tousy 90 minutes.
Jack Allan had to be withdrawn after taking a painful looking clatter to the ribs and he may have to sit out this week’s match as a precaution. Goalkeeper Martin McDonald sat out the last two games after taking a clatter last Saturday against Caley Braves, but he is hoping to be back involved for Saturday at least, if not for the Cup game.
Young midfielder Ryan Hamilton has joined Hurlford United on a season long loan, while Calum Gow and Ben Armour have both departed the club. Young left-back Reece Craig has joined Glenafton Athletic on a season long loan.
It’s everyone’s favourite, the Scottish Junior Cup! It’s normally everybody’s favourite weekend of the year, but unfortunately this isn’t a weekend game and is midweek instead this time, which seems a shame. But it gives us something different to look forward to, and a match under the lights is always something special.
One thing we have to make very clear at this juncture is how much credit Maryhill deserve in helping to arrange this match. There has been a lot of publicity of late about fixtures and where the Scottish Junior Cup fits in to all of that, given some ridiculous situations at Armadale and now with Johnstone Burgh. It seems some teams have sought to take advantage of the congestion to engineer themselves a bye through to later rounds, which is far from the spirit of the competition.
Maryhill have been mature, professional and have most importantly shown that kind of spirit that used to be enjoyed and lauded within football circles that made the Scottish Junior Cup what it is in the first place. So we show our gratitude to them and offer them a warm welcome down to Portland Park for what should be their home tie, and we can all look forward to the tie being settled on the pitch, as it should be.
The Scottish Junior Cup was first played for in 1887, and this season will celebrate it’s 140th Final. It is the 4th oldest trophy still played for in world football (behind the Scottish Cup, Welsh Cup & Irish Cup), and it’s the most beautiful old trophy at that. For the very existence of that tournament to be at stake just seems beyond belief to me, especially when people who are keen to write it off then state the need for a national Cup competition for clubs tier 5 and below in the next sentence. We already have exactly that, but the usual politics are getting in the way. Can this competition be improved? Undoubtedly it can, but stakeholders need to work together for that to happen.
Some of our happiest memories at Troon are in the Junior Cup. The trip to Aberdeen and Lewis United, the trip to Dufftown was a highlight, and just too many to mention.
This competition really needs everyone’s support to survive and thrive, as it deserves to.
‘MON THE TROON!!
Jimmy Kirkwood (Team Manager)
| Full Name | Maryhill Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | The Hill |
| Founded | 1884 |
| Ground | Lochburn Park, Maryhill |
| Capacity | 1,800 (205 seated) |
| Secretary | Yvonne Riddick |
| Manager | Ross Wilson |
| Captain | Adam Kirk |
| 2025-26 | WOSFL Second Division, 7th from 16 (promoted) |
⚽️️ LIAM REID ⚽️
A talented left-back, Liam only joined up at Lochburn in the summer after impressing on trial, but he has rapidly become one of Ross Wilson’s reliable performers.
Liam is very solid at the back and is tall and accomplished both in the air and on the ground. His composure belies his age and he directs the defence well.
⚽️️ FINN MORROW ⚽️
Finn is one of few Maryhill players we have faced before, in his time as a loan player at Drumchapel last season.
The 18 year old developed through the youth system at St Mirren, progressing to the club’s Under-18 side before gaining experience in senior football. In November 2025, he joined Drumchapel United on loan, providing an opportunity to test himself in the WOSFL.
A classy midfielder with good pace, strength in the air and a constant desire to attack the box. One for our midfield to keep an eye on.
© Thanks to Maryhill for their photos
TROON F.C.
Last 5 Matches
| 31st Oct | Troon F.C. | 1-2 | Largs Thistle | Lowland League (West) |
| 28th Oct | Renfrew | 4-5 | Troon F.C. | Lowland League (West) |
| 24th Oct | Troon F.C. | 4-3 | Caledonian Braves | Scottish Cup R2 |
| 17th Oct | Albion Rovers | 1-2 | Troon F.C. | Lowland League (West) |
| 10th Oct | West Park United | 1-2 | Troon F.C. | South Challenge Cup R3 |
MARYHILL
Last 5 Matches
| 31st Oct | Thorniewood | 7-0 | Maryhill | WOSFL First Division |
| 17th Oct | Maryhill | 1-2 | Maybole | WOSFL First Division |
| 10th Oct | Maryhill | 2-2 | Neilston | WOSFL First Division |
| 3rd Oct | Rossvale | 0-6 | Maryhill | WOSFL Cup R2 |
| 26th Sept | Blantyre Victoria | 3-1 | Maryhill | WOSFL First 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:
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
TROON F.C.
Season 2025-26
Troon enjoyed a landmark 2025-26 campaign, securing promotion to the Lowland League West for the first time in their 80-year history and achieving their Scottish FA Licence award, which will see them take part in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup for the first time ever in 2026-27. They also achieved a club-record highest league finish, guaranteeing a top-three place in the WOSFL Premier Division with six matches remaining. Their season was crowned by West of Scotland Cup success: after penalty-shootout victories over Beith Juniors and Drumchapel United, and another shoot-out win against Irvine Meadow in the semi-final, Troon defeated Auchinleck Talbot 1-0 in the final. Substitute Sam Jamieson headed the decisive 92nd-minute winner, securing the club’s first major trophy since 2014.
The Scottish Communities Cup also produced a memorable run. After defeating Beith, Glasgow United and Carnoustie Panmure, Troon reached the last 16 before suffering a 2-1 defeat at Benburb in December.
Their South Region Challenge Cup campaign was shorter-lived, ending in the second round after a 5-2 defeat by Auchinleck Talbot. The Development Team retained their Conference E title, and reached the Robbie Meiklem Memorial Trophy Final, where they were edged out by Thorn Athletic following a penalty shoot-out.
MARYHILL
Season 2025-26
A giant of Junior football in the 00s, Maryhill haven’t reached the heights of previous years of late. But there are signs that sleeping giant is stirring.
After a few years regrouping under Manager Mark Young, Maryhill enjoyed a successful 2025-26 season in the WOSFL Second Division, finishing fifth with 51 points from 30 matches. They recorded 15 wins, six draws and nine defeats, scoring 77 goals and conceding 54. Their attacking performances included an impressive 8-0 away victory over Ashfield in August 2025. Although they finished 26 points behind runaway Champions Bellshill Athletic, Maryhill’s strong campaign secured promotion to the First Division for 2026-27.
Maryhill will be delighted to be back in the First Division and will be planning on staying there under new Manager Ross Wilson.
(before this week’s matches)
| REFEREE: | ||
| Lewis Barnie | ||
| Assistant Referee 1: | Assistant Referee 2: | |
| Sean Welsh | Lewis Littlejohn |
| Referee Observer: | To be appointed |
Tickets are available at the cash turnstiles at Portland Park:
| Adult: | £12.00 |
| Concession: | £6.00 |
| Under-16: | FREE |
Season Tickets are NOT valid for this match.
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.
The social club at Portland Park will be open early from 12.30pm ahead of the 3pm kick-off, and supporters of both clubs are very welcome.
And, indeed, neutrals!
Come early & enjoy the football on the big screen!
| ⏰ 5.45pm | Fenerbahce v Liverpool | (UEFA Champions League) ⚽️ |
| ⏰ 8pm | RB Leipzig v Man City | (UEFA Champions League) ⚽️ |
The bar will close ahead of 11pm.
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 all day & will be open til late, selling a variety of hot food & drinks as well as cold drinks.
If you’ve never been to SCRAN before, you really need to watch Blair McNally’s YouTube video after his visit to Portland Park…and SCRAN!
⚽️ Troon F.C. versus Dalbeattie Star ⚽️
Saturday 7th November 2026
Scottish Lowland Football League (West)
Portland Park, Troon
Kick-off 3pm