BANKIEBILL

The Brigg Inn is a few minutes walk away and is pretty decent. Fitba on the telly from lunchtime too Id change that to Arthurlie v Pollok mind you unless you're trying to wind folk up

Interesting weekend in West Premier with 1st and 2nd not playing. Clash of the day at New Tinto St Cadocs v Darvel - and you've got to say that the winner of this keeps themselves in the mix - loser starts to look less likely. A draw suits neither so hopefully thats what happens. Last chance saloon for Pollok .. and Arthurlie desperate for a win. See what Pollok turns up - but again a draw wouldn't be out the question - killing off Pollok's chances you'd think. Talbot on a great run and up against Benburb. You just dont know what Bens will turn up but with Talbot only losing once this year - and scoring for fun then they must be favourites. Keeping the pressure on at the top. Gartcairn v Troon - Home side with cash to burn it seems and strengthening at will - up against Troon who have a bit of form. Gartcairn need to win to have any chance of title ( next season will be their push I think though ) and I think they'll get it. Hurlford v Glenafton - Ford at home are impressive - unbeaten since October. Glenafton lost last 3. Think points are staying at Blair Park and the visitors in deeper trouble ( albeit with a few games in hand ) Kirky v Beith - Beith have only won 1 from last 4 ( against the leaders ) and Rob Roy unbeaten this year. However the game is huge for Beith. If they can keep 11 on the park then think they'll take full points. Tricky one though. Largs v Irvine Meadow - Home side have been up and down but have had some big results. Meadow won last time out against Pollok but that was their only league win since Sept. Cant see anything other than a home win to put Largs safe I think. So my predictions St Cadocs 1 Darvel 1 Arthurlie 2 Pollok 2 Talbot 3 Bens 1 Gartcairn 2 Troon 1 Hurlford 3 Glenafton 0 Kirky 1 Beith 2 Largs 2 Meadow 0 ie a great day for Beith

Bore off

Aye Pollok social media is very good ... as are the crowds

We had zero money when we came into the Juniors. We had guys on £10 a week and amateurs. We did have a fanbase and have developed as best we could. We literally started from scratch - had to put shedloads of money into both Glenhead Park and Holm Park to try to develop them to hold crowds. We've been fortunate in that the council - around 6 years ago - gave the club a grant and that was used to develop Holm Park as a ground that ourselves and Yoker could have a permanent home at. This was good for both clubs and it's also great for the other clubs from the area that play and train there. We'll continue to work with the council and the Holm Park Community Football Academy to develop the park - making it better, year on year, for those that use it. Our budget is still nothing like some of our rivals but we make up for that in other ways. Talbot are a phenomenon in non-league terms. For a village of around 4000 it has achieved so much and should be a role model for other teams in the pyramid.

Wouldn't say Beith, Talbot and ourselves are "glorified boys clubs" ... Darvel are an old club that someone stuck a few bob into. You have St Cadocs and Gartcairn in our league - everyone else is old style Junior ... plus ourselves ( 17 years probably doesn't count ). Doesn't take much for budgets to start to go out of kilter and even with great average home attendances ( 750 or so for league games ? ) that wont cover what some clubs are paying players just now. Sponsorships, Lotteries, Social Clubs, regular donations - all needed to balance the books.

Sure this is pretty temporary. And you're correct - it would be financial madness to budget for not going out in very 1st round you come in

I'd be gobsmacked if Pollok budgeted for any run in Scottish. What is problem Archie ?

Well done Beith. Wasnt at the game ( dont make many Saturday games at the moment ) but most of the guys that were there say it was deserved - Beith took their chances etc. There will be many ups and downs and surprises before the season is out. Talbot, Cumnock, Pollok, Gartcairn, Bens and Hurlford are probably too far away to win it but you never know ... and the top 4 have still to play mostly everyone. I think yesterday puts odds back in favour of Beith. Troon, Pollok, Largs and Arthurlie still to play against all of top 4 and could be the Kingmakers ? It's a brilliant season in a great, competitive league. Bankies 10 games left ( 5 home 5 away ) 41 points Home: Gartcairn, Troon, St Cadocs, Largs, Arthurlie Away : St Cadocs, Darvel, Pollok, Troon, Hurlford Beith 15 games left. ( 8 home, 7 away ) 32 points Home: Arthurlie, Bens, Darvel, Gartcairn, Glenafton, Pollok, st cadocs, troon Away:v Arthurlie, Talbot, Glenafton, Hurlford, Rob Roy, Largs, Troon St Cadocs 13 games left ( 6 home, 7 away ) 31 points Home: Talbot, Bankies, Darvel, Meadow, Largs, Troon Away : Arthurlie, Beith, Bankies, Glenafton, Hurlford, Pollok, Troon Darvel 14 Games ( 7 home, 7 away ) left 30 points Home Arthurlie, Talbot, Bankies, Gartcairn, Meadow, Largs, Pollok, Away : Beith, Cumnock, Glenafton, Rob Roy, Pollok, St Cadocs, Troon

It's not totally speculation but I'll grant I don't have perfect knowledge

We've gone and bought Craig Truesdale - a player we tried to get from Rob Roy and had a deal but Darvel paid him more. Mulcahy re-signed and Connor Greene signed on a free. That's it since last summer. Truesdale was a big fee ( for us ) but it's an investment. Generally speaking, we have a decent reputation for treating players well. They get paid on time, we have a good management team and a decent support for our level. We try hard to supply more than just a weekly wage and are fair to players when they move on. Most players at this level have regular jobs and for a lot they want to enjoy their football. That's an attraction. Re other budgets. I know what ours is ... managers and players speak to each other. I'd like other sources of income and we're working on that as it'll become a more limiting factor as clubs like Drumchapel and Johnstone Burgh come into the reckoning. In meantime, we do our best to work to get more resource and promotion would be a big help there ( big ask still ).

I'm one of those directors and I do manage to go through life without a superiority complex despite one probably being justified.

And that's a bad thing ? We have a growing number of ( mainly small ) sponsors and a large fan base including a large % that pay a monthly contribution to the club. We pay to play at Holm Park and have made sigificant financial contributions to improvements at the ground plus resourcing to assist in its running and administration. Still we get a running commentary of snide and invective from a small number of folk on here and elsewhere. Yes it's never been a secret that we want to play at a higher level and we're working hard to that effect. I personally quite like JG. He's put his money where his mouth is and not only into the team - but also the infrastructure at Recreation Park. What he has done is make things significantly more difficult financially. Darvel upped the ante to an extent that we could never hope to match. Other clubs - as you've pointed out - have followed suit and we are one of those to the limited extent we are able. We are not in the top half dozen budgets in the league but we have a fantastic management team and a Board who are working their arses off to back him. We know where we came from. We know why we ended up where we did. As enjoyable as the last 20 years have been - it's by looking up that we can keep going. It needs to be sustainable and it is. However by standing still ... you atrophise ... so trying to develop and improve is the only real way to survive. There's no guarantee of anything at all but being a community club is what we're all about and at least you don't put your future into anyone else's hands

What does that mean?

Given bottom place in Lowland League is either going to be Edinburgh Uni or Gretna, it's extremely unlikely 4 will go down even if our champions dont go up.

Yourselves and Talbot will have a big say

Does that take into account playing against each other ?9

He really is a melt

Ffs no way. Was v pleasing to see wee shitey shoes ( McCall) get his arse kicked

Why would you want to if you're that lucky ??

I don't think 7 points with 4 games in hand is too unachievable at this stage. If you drop points next week and we win then 10 points with 4 games - then we play you a fortnight later - then that starts to get harder

Course you can give an opinion - I think Shanner is casting aspertion on all our attempts to downplay. As it happens, I agree with him re the slight balance towards Beith. A win for us at Cumnock ( where we've won once since 2016 and Murdie is starting to get them clicking ) combined with Beith not winning at Beechwood - would change that I think. I had no idea how few home games Beith had played in the league. That makes the fact that you're still in running all the more commendable and calls the manner of allocating fixtures into question - again. Whatever happens in the next couple of weeks, the game on 3rd Feb is huge

St Cadocs have come right into things but Beith still - just - favourite for title I think. Hopefully a win for us at Townhead and you taking something from Beith next week, will change the dynamic and set up a humongous game at Bellsdale in early Feb.

870 ish I think. Seemed to be decent contingent from Ayrshire so well done. Not a huge difference between the teams but thought our passing and movement were tidier and the winning goal was magnificent. Always a hard game and very happy with that result. Now do us a favour next week