Irvine Meadow aim to make it four

Jun 19 2009 by John Woods, Irvine Herald

“LET’S make it four and finish the season with a silver lining.”

That’s the battle cry from Irvine Meadow manager Chris Starin as he prepares to face Pollok on Thursday night in the Evening Times Cup Final – the traditional end of season showpiece.

Meadow already have the Premier League title, the Ayrshire Cup and the Ardagh Glass Cup in the bag but, said Strain, the players are hungry for more silverware.

“A lot of clubs will tell you that this cup or that cup is not important – but not us,” he added.

“We give every competition exactly the same respect and always send out a team that’s determined to win it. And Thursday will be no different.”

Meadow limbered up for the final in contrasting fashion with a quarter-final win over Arthurlie where the boss felt his team played their best football of the season.

“Apart from a daft couple of minutes where we gave away two goals we were terrific – all over the park,” he added.

“And some of the goals we scored were fantastic.”

But it was a different story in Monday’s semi-final where the Irvine outfit struggled to a 1-0 win at Blantyre Vics.

“We struggled to get the ball down on a rock hard pitch, didn’t cope too well with their physical style and allowed them too many clear-cut chances,” admitted Strain.

“Do that against Pollok and we’ll come home empty-handed.”

While Meadow have had a trophy-laden season Pollok only have the League Cup in the cabinet and that will make them even more dangerous than usual on Thursday.

“They’ll be back to full strength and will be looking to make it a physical game,” said Strain.

“In addition they’ll desperate to get revenge for losing at home to us last time out. They’ll want to finish the season on a high so it will be a hard 90 minutes.”

Meadow were offered the chance to take the game to Maryhill but turned down the opportunity to play at a neutral venue because they felt the Newlandsfield surface was more suited to their style and there would be a far better atmosphere for both fans and player there.

It’s virtually a home game for Pollok but Strain insists it holds no fears for his players.

“We’ve beaten them home and away this season so we know we can cope with what they’ll throw at us,” he added.

However the Meadow manager admits the loss of striker Emilio Jaconelli who has a hamstring injury is a blow.

“Jaco’s a prolific scorer and forms a great partnership with Richie Barr,” he added.

“He’ll be missed but we have the players to cope.”

However Strain feels Barr, who arrived from Cumnock in mid-season, could once again be the match winner.

“We all knew just how hard-working Richie was but he’s added goals to his game now – and they tend to be vital ones like the winner at Pollok in our final league game.” said Strain.

Meadow were the first Ayrshire side to win this competition when they lifted the trophy at Newlandsfield three years ago and a repeat would be a fantastic end to the season.

“A lot of people kept writing us off this year but we’ve proved them wrong by winning three major trophies,” said Strain.

“No matter what happens it’s been a fantastic season for Irvine Meadow – but a fourth piece of silverware on Thursday night would be the perfect ending.”