THE top of the West of Scotland Football League Premier Division table had a familiar look about it on Saturday night as the dust settled on the opening round of top flight fixtures.

Beith Juniors haven’t been tipped by too many fans for a third straight title, but it was Chris Strain’s men who emerged at the head of the pack after Saturday’s games, setting down a marker to the teams looking to wrest the crown away from Bellsdale Park.

Two of Strain’s summer signings got among the goals in the 3-0 win at home to Shotts Bon Accord, with former Kilwinning Rangers midfielder Jordan Stuart giving the hosts the interval advantage and striker Fraser Malcolm doubling the lead from the penalty spot after the break before Carlo Monti put the icing on the cake.

It was a good day, too, for last season’s runners-up as Auchinleck Talbot saw off big-spending East Ayrshire rivals Darvel 2-0 at Beechwood Park, with new signing Ross Clark and midfielder Luke Gillies both on target early in the second half as Tommy Sloan's men took some measure of revenge for their defeat at Vale's hands in last season's Junior Cup semi-final.

Few squads have undergone more wholesale changes during the summer than that of Cumnock Juniors, and while new boss Stephen Swift’s reshaped line-up may take a little while to gel, the former Stenhousemuir manager can’t have had too many complaints about their efforts on the opening day after Allan MacKenzie, one of the few players retained by Swift from last season’s squad, netted the only goal away to Benburb.

If it was see-saw entertainment you were after on day one, though, Loch Park was the place to be as Glenafton Athletic pulled off a sensational 4-3 win over many people’s title tips, St Cadoc’s.

Ryan Caddis’s men raced into a 2-0 lead with little more than a quarter of the game played thanks to Ollie Rowe and Michael Mullen, only for the visitors to level with two goals in three minutes thanks to Neil McLaughlin and Ciaran Diver.

It looked like curtains for the Glens when Jack Breen’s diving header gave the away side the advantage midway through the second half, but Caddis’s side gave notice that they won’t lie down to any opponent this season as Rowe’s second headed goal of the afternoon was swiftly followed by a Mullen wonder strike to win it for the hosts.

Largs Thistle were held to a goalless draw by Johnstone Burgh at Barrfields in a match which saw both sides reduced to 10 men late on, while Troon lost 2-1 at home to Pollok, despite taking the lead at Portland Park through a bizarre strike when Jack Sherrie’s mis-hit cross was carried over the line by Lok keeper Ben Fry, with Ciaran MacPhie levelling before an Aldin El-Zubaidi own goal left Jimmy Kirkwood’s men empty-handed.

And Hurlford United were also unable to hold on to their first half advantage, with Lewis Morrison’s strike midway through the opening 45 all Darren Henderson’s men would have to show for their trip to top flight new boys Drumchapel United as the First Division champions roared back to win 3-1.

Kilbirnie Ladeside emerged as the top Ayrshire dogs after Saturday’s opening First Division fixtures thanks to an impressive 4-0 win at home to Ashfield, with Jon Scullion and Ryan Connelly giving Colin Spence’s men the interval advantage before Scott Lewis’s second-half brace put victory beyond doubt, with Jamie McGowan’s penalty save the cherry on top of a very tasty cake for the Blasties.

But the size of the smiles at Valefield Park was matched only by the scale of the frowns a few miles down the road as Irvine Meadow found themselves on the wrong end of an opening-day horror show, with Greg Cree’s 15th-minute opener proving to be no more than a false dawn as Ben Carson’s men found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-1 thrashing at home to Petershill.

The spoils were shared at Buffs Park as North Ayrshire rivals Kilwinning Rangers and Ardrossan Winton Rovers drew 1-1; former Talbot striker Bryan Boylan gave the hosts the lead with barely 15 seconds on the clock and before a Winton player had even touched the ball, but Kevin Kelly’s men were unable to build on that, and former Buffs man Ryan Wilson levelled early in the second half to earn Gavin Friels’ men a point.

Two goals from Gerry Clark and one from Aaron Miller helped Maybole into a 3-1 lead at home to Thorniewood, but the Ladywell side emerged empty-handed after a 90th-minute free kick by Ross Forbes saw the Lanarkshire side snatch victory by the odd goal in seven.

Whitletts Vics lead the Ayrshire pack in the Second Division after an opening day derby win away to Bonnyton Thistle, with Jordan Boyd, Ryan Nisbet and Dylan Howarth on target for the visitors and Joel Taylor finding the net for the home side, while Muirkirk also enjoyed success on the road on the opening day, Ethan Brew netting the only goal against Bellshill Athletic at Rockburn Park.

Craigmark Burntonians, by contrast, were left licking their wounds after a 5-1 defeat at home to a Cambuslang Rangers side keen to turn their fortunes around after back-to-back relegations, with Scott Sherrie’s strike all the Mark had to show for their opening-day efforts.

Lugar Boswell Thistle passed their first test in the Third Division with flying colours following their promotion from the bottom tier, with the Jaggy Bunnets coming from behind to record an impressive 4-1 win away to Glasgow United; the Rosebank Park side trailed at the break, but Kyle McCulloch’s header levelled the game five minutes into the second half, and Conan Mackin made it 2-1 just a few moments later before Ethan Craig and Ewan McIver completed an impressive comeback victory.

 

 

Ardeer Thistle boss Sean Kenney also had plenty of reasons to be cheerful after watching his side chalk up an opening day derby win, 3-1 at home to North Ayrshire rivals Dalry Thistle, while Dean Keenan’s first league game in charge of Girvan ended in a 3-3 draw at home to Wishaw, with Scott Dempster scoring twice and Aiden Kerr also on target as the Seasiders battled back from losing two goals in the first 25 minutes.

Stuart MacDuff, though, had a tough introduction to life in the Irvine Victoria hotseat as Vics lost 3-1 at home to Kilsyth Athletic despite going in front early on through Kyro Crawford.

Saltcoats Vics finished at the very bottom of the heap last season, but Stevie Wilson’s men gave notice that they’ll be no-one’s pushovers this time around after kicking off their Fourth Division campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Carluke Rovers.

Kello Rovers also gave their supporters hope that brighter times could be just around the corner after last season’s relegation to the bottom tier, with the Nithside Park men coming from behind to win 4-1 at home to BSC Glasgow.


All the hosts’ goals came in the final quarter, with Lori Johnson levelling and Mark Armour netting a screamer two minutes later to turn the game around before each player completed their brace in the final five minutes.

Eglinton, meanwhile, were left kicking their heels after drainage problems forced the postponement of their opening-day tie against Royal Albert at Tileworks Park; the Jousters get their campaign under way on Wednesday night at home to Easterhouse.

The full WoSFL midweek fixture list for all of Ayrshire’s clubs is as follows (kick-offs 7.30pm unless stated).

Tuesday, July 30

Premier Division: Darvel v Glenafton Athletic, Hurlford United v Benburb, Johnstone Burgh v Auchinleck Talbot.

First Division: Ashfield v Kilwinning Rangers (8pm).

Wednesday, July 31

Premier Division: Beith Juniors v Drumchapel United, Cumnock Juniors v Largs Thistle (7.45pm), St Cadoc’s v Troon (8pm).

First Division: Ardrossan Winton Rovers v Arthurlie (Valefield Park), Rutherglen Glencairn v Kilbirnie Ladeside, St Roch’s v Maybole Juniors, Renfrew v Irvine Meadow (8pm).

Second Division: Maryhill v Bonnyton Thistle, Muirkirk Juniors v Lanark United, Whitletts Victoria v Craigmark Burntonians.

Third Division: Dalry Thistle v Glasgow Perthshire, Irvine Victoria v Girvan, Lugar Boswell Thistle v Ardeer Thistle.

Fourth Division: Saltcoats Victoria v Kello Rovers, Eglinton v Easterhouse.