75 days after the 2023-24 season came to a close with a victory over Darvel, Troon are back on home turf as we welcome their friends from Pollok for our first WOSFL Premier Division match of the season.
⚽️ Troon F.C. versus Pollok ⚽️
Saturday 27th July 2024
Greenversity WOSFL Premier Division
Portland Park, Troon
Kick-off 2pm
It’s the start of another new season, and everyone is coming into Saturday full of confidence & enthusiasm.
There is perhaps the feeling that Troon did not achieve what they could have done last season, and there is a steely determination in the camp to improve on that this season.
As a result, this close season has been one of more change than recent summers.
There has been changes in the coaching staff under Manager Jimmy Kirkwood, with Assistant Manager Dean Keenan departing and being named Manager of Girvan. Coach Andy Bell has been promoted to Assistant Manager and will work alongside long-serving Marty Fraser. Former Clyde & Kilwinning Rangers midfielder Craig Bingham joins as First Team Coach, and he will be working alongside fellow new coaches Johnny Sinclair and Perry Uppal who come to Portland Park after a few successful seasons with Stewarton United. The coaching team is completed by long-serving Andy Smyth and Sports Therapist Darrell Dunscombe.
There has been significant investment in the playing squad, with no fewer than seven new arrivals into an already talented player pool. Strength in depth was absolutely a target of Jimmy’s in order to fight for a higher finish this term, with a Cup run very much the ambition.
Troon have had an encouraging pre-season as the new squad beds in. Last weekend’s win at promotion-chasing Penicuik Athletic gives cause for optimism after wins against Maybole and Kilbirnie Ladeside were interspersed with defeats against Ardrossan Winton Rovers and Whitletts Victoria.
Pollok have had a much more gentile summer than last year, with evolution rather than revolution the theme. Stewart Maxwell was enjoying his first full summer in charge last time out as he set about rebuilding his squad, but he has fine-tuned his pool this summer and expectation will be to go better than a sixth place finish.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Saturday’s match…
Jimmy Kirkwood’s new look squad has really taken shape during pre-season, and there are a few new faces for supporters to familiarise themselves with come Saturday!
Callan Veitch is in line to make his competitive debut for the club after joining from Cumnock, while Sam Jamieson and Mark Morrison make their official returns after re-joining the club from Cumnock & East Kilbride respectively. Aldin El-Zubaidi and Dario Viviani also make their second debuts for the club after making their loan moves from Kilwinning and Ayr United permanent in the summer. Attacker Scott McLean will have to wait for now to make his second debut for the club as he is still recovering from a knee injury sustained last season, and fellow new signing Nathan Baird will wait til Wednesday to take his competitive bow for the club as he is at a family wedding this Saturday.
Have we got time for yet another new recruit before Saturday?
Just possibly…
Season 15 for me at Troon now, here we go!
It’s been an incredibly busy pre-season at the club, we’ve been keen to strengthen or freshen up every area of the club so keep moving forward. Fighting relegation every year is not the ceiling of our ambitions, we have an excellent club here & we feel we should be kicking on now.
I have to say a big thank you to the Chairman for his support this summer, we have pushed the boat out a little to secure the players we wanted and he has been fully supportive of that from the beginning.
Welcome to the new signings that could take their competitive bow this weekend.
We have recruited real ability this summer, as well as players who have been the course in this league & we know very well.
Same as it has always been since I’ve been at Troon, Youth gets a chance. Last season’s Development Team Player of the Year Robbie McBlain has taken the step up to the first team in the summer, and we have also spent a lot of time recruiting for our new Development Team. Our successful pathway has really been recognised this summer, and we have recruited some of the very best young players for Tony Murphy’s team. Lenon, Rhys & Rohan are just some of the young prospects we have at the club, and many of them I look forward to seeing in the first team in the future.
We know the objectives this season; 2014 was the last time I held a trophy above my head, and that’s too long as far as I’m concerned. That’s something I want to rectify this season. How we do that is by hard work, by commitment and ultimately that hard work work & commitment has got to result in some success this season.
That’s our objective.
Jimmy Kirkwood (Manager)
| Full Name | Pollok Football Club |
| Nickname(s) | The ‘Lok |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Ground | Newlandsfield Park, Shawlands |
| Capacity | 2,088 |
| Club President | Jeff Hunt |
| Manager | Stewart Maxwell |
| Captain | Calum Gow |
| 2023-24 | WOSFL Premier Division, 6th from 16 |
⚽️️ ADAM FORDE ⚽️
The 28 year old forward is a key member of Maxi’s Pollok, and he is the focal point of their attack where he provides a goal threat from all across the park.
Adam began his professional career with Stranraer in 2012, joining them from Erskine YFC. In his three seasons at Stair Park, he made 24 league appearances, netting 3 times. He also spent time loaned out at Neilston and Kilbirnie, joining the latter on a permanent deal in 2015.
It was from the Blasties that he joined Lok in the summer of 2017, where he has cemented his position as one of the top forwards in the West.
⚽️️ LUKE MAIN ⚽️
The 23 year old midfielder garnered plaudits from all around last season, with some excellent performances in the middle of the park for Pollok.
The Motherwell and Queens Park youth product spent three seasons in the Lowland League with Cumbernauld Colts and then Caledonian Braves, before signing up at Newlandsfield last summer.
© Thanks to our club photographer Graeme McKenzie for his photos
Troon F.C.
| WON | WON |