Park View

⚽️ Fauldhouse United versus Troon F.C. ⚽️
Saturday 15th August 2026
South Region Challenge Cup Round 1
Park View, Fauldhouse
Kick-off 2.30pm

Gilroy double fires Troon into South Challenge Cup second round

Troon produced an impressive second-half comeback to defeat Fauldhouse United 3-1 at Park View and book their place in the second round of the South Challenge Cup.

Troon Manager Jimmy Kirkwood made several changes to his side, with young Rohan Harkins handed the goalkeeper’s gloves and Gareth Armstrong making his first start in place of Stephen Bronsky. Ben Hughes returned to midfield, allowing Dario Viviani a rest. Fauldhouse, meanwhile, were dealing with their own selection problems between the posts, with injuries limiting their options and Sean Beaton stepping in between the sticks.

Troon started positively and came close to breaking the deadlock after nine minutes. Callan Veitch’s corner found Calum Gow, whose header was well saved by Beaton before a defender completed the clearance. The home side then took the lead against the run of play in the 22nd minute. A mistake in the middle of the park allowed Fauldhouse to break quickly and Harry Twaddle raced through to beat Harkins with a simple finish. Troon’s response was excellent. Just three minutes later, Max Guthrie produced a clever piece of play to release Jamie Mills down the left. Mills delivered a beautifully floated cross towards the back post, where Ben Hughes arrived to powerfully head home and restore parity. The visitors continued to threaten before the break. Another Veitch corner caused problems and Ben Armour saw his effort deflected away, while Veitch himself came agonisingly close to completing the turnaround when his attempted lob sailed narrowly over the crossbar. The first half ended level, but Troon were increasingly asserting themselves.

HALF-TIME: FAULDHOUSE UNITED 1-1 TROON F.C.

The travelling Seasiders’ made the perfect start to the second period. Four minutes after the restart, Guthrie again provided the spark, feeding Gilroy on the flank. The Troon winger unleashed an unstoppable strike from distance which flew beyond Beaton to put the Seasiders ahead. Gilroy was proving a constant menace and almost created another goal on the hour mark. After turning Okocha inside out, Armstrong swung in a dangerous cross which Beaton did well to punch clear. Mills then tried his luck with an audacious chip which came back off the crossbar. Troon made two changes soon afterwards, with Sam Jamieson replacing Armour and Lewis Allan coming on for Armstrong. Fauldhouse made changes of their own as they searched for a route back into the contest, but Troon remained comfortable and continued to pose a threat on the counter. Dario Viviani was introduced for Hughes in the 80th minute, with Evan Ferguson replacing Veitch, and the changes would pay dividends late on. With Fauldhouse pushing forward in search of an equaliser, a Calum Gow header sent Viviani racing into space. The substitute slipped in Gilroy, who turned on the afterburners, raced clear of the defence and calmly slotted beyond Beaton to seal the victory. It was a fitting finish for the outstanding Gilroy, whose two-goal performance earned him Man of the Match honours.

FULL-TIME: FAULDHOUSE UNITED 1-3 TROON F.C.

The Seasiders now progress to the second round, where they will travel to face Saltire City at Carlyle’s John Cumming Stadium. Attention quickly returns to league matters, however, with Renfrew the visitors to Portland Park on Wednesday night in the Lowland League West.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Two-goal Kyle Gilroy, as voted for in our Supporter’s WhatsApp group chat after full-time!