2023 – 24 SEASON TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

Pollok FC are delighted to announce that for the first time, season tickets are available to purchase for 23/24 via Fanbase!

A season ticket will grant you access to all fifteen home league games and all home friendlies, as well as giving you a guaranteed ticket for home cup ties and priority after members for any away games with limited tickets.

 

Season tickets offer great value over the course of the season and are priced at:

  • £125 for adults
  • £70 for concessions (12-18 year olds, Students and 65+ years)
  • Free for Under 12s (only available with purchase of an adult or concession season ticket).

 

John and Martin are on board! Will you join them next season?

 

Season tickets will operate alongside club membership. Being a member makes you a part owner of Pollok Football Club and allows you to attend the AGM. The renewal process will remain the same for this and members will be notified of payment details in due course.

Supporters do not need to be both members and season ticket holders, so any members who wish to resign their membership and purchase a season ticket instead are requested to contact info@pollokfc.com after they have purchased their season ticket. Any ticket enquiries can be directed to this address also.

Secure your spot at Newlandsfield and cheer on the Lok in Stewart Maxwell’s first full campaign. Click here to purchase your 23/24 season ticket!

 

The club reserve the right to request proof of age/student status upon entry to ensure spectators are in possession of the correct ticket. Under 12s must be accompanied at all times by an adult. All season tickets are issued in line with the club’s Ground Regulations.

Alex Cassells Joins Petershill

Striker Alex Cassells has joined Petershill for an undisclosed fee.

Alex joined Pollok in February 2023 linking back up with former manager Stewart Maxwell.

Cassells spent time on Loan alongside Kamil Krol at Shotts Bon Accord last season before leaving the club on a short-term loan to Petershill this season. Petershill have now agreed to a deal for Alex to join permanently.

The club would like to thank Alex for his contributions during his time at Pollok.

All at the club wish him well for his future career.

Pollok 3 – 4 Beith Juniors: 11th November 2023

Following a week off, Pollok made one change to the team which started the Scottish Cup win over Gala with Chris Duff coming in for Andrew Gallacher as they looked to push their claim as serious title contenders.

The home side were the first to threaten. A tremendous pass from Lindsay found Christie in space on the right. He got to the bye-line and cut it back for Forde. He took a touch before dragging his shot just wide of the post. Beith were dominating the early stages without testing Longmuir and Pollok saw a penalty appeal dismissed when a Burns cross was flicked on and Forde appeared to be clipped whilst going for the ball in the six-yard box.

The away side took the lead in the twenty first minute. A long free-kick was flicked across the box. Gow partially cleared but it fell to Kian Burns who danced past Mullen before passing a clever shot through Gow’s legs and into the corner of the net.

Burns fires Beith ahead. (JG)

Beith’s second goal arrived a few minutes later. A ball over the top was being pursued by Rossiter with Burns in close attendance. Duff sprinted back to get involved and made a clumsy challenge which saw the referee point to the spot. McGlinchey made no mistake from twelve yards as he doubled Beith’s lead.

Not long after, a mistimed tackle by Robbie Scullion on Forde in the middle of the park was deemed a straight red by the referee and Beith found themselves down to ten men with more than an hour still to
play.

Robbie Scullion is given his marching orders. (FT)

Just before the half hour mark the Southsiders passed up a wonderful opportunity to get themselves right back into the game. Marc McKenzie, making his 650th career appearance, chased a short back pass and rounded the keeper expertly. He had time to take a touch but his shot towards goal was cleared off the line by O’Neil.

McKenzie skips past the keeper but is left dejected as he fails to beat the recovering defender on the line. (JG)


Pollok were starting to show signs of making the extra man count as they began to dominate possession. Mcgregor started a move which saw Forde sweep a pass out wide to Duff. When the cross came in Forde was there to meet it with a powerful header which cannoned off the bar. As the game approached halftime Christie saw a shot deflected away for a corner and from Mullen’s delivery Duff shot wide.

Christie’s effort is deflected wide for a corner. (JG)

However, the final goal of the half was to come at the other end, as a quick break saw Diver through on Longmuir who did well to save with his feet. From the resulting corner the ball was cleared but quickly returned. Monti held off Mullen and played in Rossiter who was allowed to work his way along the bye-line before cutting back for Burns to apply a simple finish.

HALF-TIME

POLLOK 0 – 3 BEITH JUNIORS

It had been a chastening first half for the home side and the second half started in disastrous fashion. Diver was played in down the right wing. There appeared to be little danger as he made his way into the box at a tight angle with players covering. However, his low cross came off Gow and trundled
into the net for 4-0.

Pollok continued to look for a way back into the game as Beith sat back to defend their handsome lead. Christie burst in behind the defence and when his angled shot was blocked by the keeper it fell to McGregor. He laid it off to Forde whose strike came crashing back off the bar.

Forde sees another effort crash off the bar. (JG)

As the hour mark approached Pollok got themselves on the board at last. Christie played the ball across the box to the substitute Gallacher. He stepped inside his man and curled a low shot into the bottom corner. The assistant referee raised his flag but the referee quite correctly confirmed that there was no interference with play and gave the goal.

Gallacher lets fly and races back to restart play having grabbed a goal back. (JG)

Beith were defending superbly as McGregor saw a close-range effort cleared off the line before he planted a header wide after great work by Gallacher. Christie also managed an effort just wide while a Forde volley was straight at the keeper. Anderson then saw a shot on the turn well saved before more Gallacher magic set up a shooting opportunity for McGregor. His effort took a slight nick on the way over the bar. From the resulting corner Kerr rose highest and found the top corner with his header to further reduce the deficit with eight minutes to go.

Kerr celebrates scoring Pollok’s second. (JG)

Christie saw a low shot well saved by Stott’s feet and then Anderson passed up a presentable opportunity in the six-yard box from a Burns’ cross.

Anderson can;t get enough on it as Pollok chase a third. (FT)

Another cross driven in by Burns was well saved by Stott before efforts by Christie and Mullen were blocked as the Beith defence put their bodies on the line. With the game well into stoppage time a short corner was played to Mullen who curled it into the box. Gow rose highest and headed into the top corner to pull Pollok back within one.

Gow powered home a third for Pollok but it was too little too late. (JG)

There was, however, no time for completing a heroic comeback, as the whistle blew in the 98th minute for full time. Any neutrals amongst the large crowd will have thoroughly enjoyed a seven-goal thriller. For the home faithful however, it goes down as an opportunity missed. Soft goals conceded and good
chances missed was the story of the day, although Beith showed why they are champions and confirmed they will be very difficult to beat to this season’s title race.

FULL TIME

POLLOK 3 – 4 BEITH JUNIORS

GOALS

Pollok: Gallcher (59′), Kerr (82′), Gow (90’+7)

Beith Juniors: Burns (25′,45’+1), McGlinchey (P)(25′), OG (47′)

Attendance: 799

Man of the Match: Kian Burns (Beith Juniors)

An excellent first half saw him open the scoring and score the crucial third right on half-time which knocked the stuffing out of Pollok. (FT)

 

Report by Peter Thomson

Photographs by James Graham and Finlay Thom

 

Full Match Highlights by Mark Donnelly

 

Post-match Interview with Stewart Maxwell

Club Captaincy Update

Callum Gow has been appointed as club captain.

Gow was previously the club vice captain and has worn the armband on a number of occasions but has now been appointed as captain.

Joining the club 11 months ago from Irvine Meadow, making 28 appearances and scoring 4 times. Gow has had a big impact in his short time at the club stepping up to be a leader within the squad.

Fraser Mullen has been appointed Vice Captain.

Mullen joined Pollok in July 2022 from Cowdenbeath and has been an ever-present at right-back making 58 appearances and scoring 6 goals.

Hutton Moves to Darvel

Pollok FC can confirm that Kyle Hutton has signed for Darvel on loan. He will spend the rest of the season at the Ayrshire club, which will take him up to the expiration of his Newlandsfield contract.

Kyle signed for Pollok in the summer from Forfar Athletic, following spells at Rangers, Partick Thistle, St Mirren and other clubs across the Scottish football pyramid. He has made ten appearances across all competitions this season.

All at the club thank him for his contribution to Pollok, and wish him well at Recreation Park.

Pollok 5 – 2 Gala Fairydean Rovers

The second round of the Scottish Cup saw Pollok entertain Gala Fairydean Rovers of the Borders at Newlandsfield in a first ever competitive meeting between the two clubs. Gala had beaten Strathspey Thistle 8-2 in the previous round and sat mid-table in the Lowland League.

The home side made two changes to the eleven who started the previous week’s win over Petershill. Gow and McKenzie returned in place of Burrows and Nelson.

Pollok took to the pitch in their new purple away kit and did not take long to open the scoring. A Mullen free-kick evaded McGregor but came back off Gallacher into McGregor’s path. He applied a lovely finish on the volley to get the home side off to the perfect start.

McGregor slams home the opener within three minutes. (FT)

It could easily have been two minutes later when great work by McKenzie released Christie on the right. His low cross fizzed across the six-yard box but no one could apply the finishing touch.

Given both teams’ scoring records so far this season, it was little surprise that Gala equalised. A sweeping move from right to left and back to front ending with Reid cutting inside Mullen and rifling in a shot which found the top corner via a deflection off McGregor.

Almost immediately Pollok should have retaken the lead. The kick-off was passed back to Mullen who cut inside Reid before sending a searching ball into the box. Gallacher’s first touch was wof the highest quality and sent him one on one with the keeper. He tried to pass it into the net and Cantley managed to save. Forde fired the rebound goalwards and forced Cantley into a superb save with his foot.

The chances kept on coming and after good work by McGregor and Christie a cross to the back post found McKenzie whose header was well saved. A surging run down the left wing by Gallacher got the team quickly up the park. A pass inside to Forde was helped on towards Christie but was intercepted. It fell to McGregor whose shot sliced wide.

With a quarter of an hour gone Burns won a free-kick down the left. Mullen swung it in and McGregor rose highest to head down and into the net to deservedly restore Pollok’s lead.

McGregor after restoring Pollok’s lead. (JG)

Shots continued to rain in and crosses were fired across both boxes but the next telling action was a red card for Gala’s Kyle Semple. With half an hour on the clock he picked up the second of two quick-fire yellows for a shirt pull.

Semple sees red. (JG)

Being a man down didn’t alter the way Gala approached the game and they were level on the stroke of half-time. Pollok lost possession in their own half and when the ball was played into the box Gow lunged in and conceded a penalty. Galbraith found the bottom corner from twelve yards to make it two apiece.

Galbraith pulls Gala level right on half-time. (FT)

Five minutes into the second half Pollok produced a stunning move. A long ball from Longmuir was expertly flicked on by McGregor to Christie. He beat his man for pace and whipped in an excellent cross which Forde headed back across the keeper. Unfortunately it came down off the bar on to the line before being cleared. Christie got in a few minutes later but could not get full power on his shot and it was saved.

Some nice interchanging of positions and passing between Mullen, Gallacher and Christie saw the ball end up at the feet of McKenzie. He flicked it up and volleyed it towards the top corner. Cantley produced a stunning save to tip it on to the bar. Forde pounced on the rebound and once again Cantlay came up with heroics to keep it out but Forde’s quick reaction and great balance allowed him to finish over the stranded keeper.

Forde wheels away after restoring Pollok’s lead. (JG)

Pollok kept the tempo high against the ten men and after a Forde effort flew just over the bar a Burns cross was just deflected behind for a corner with McGregor waiting to pounce. From the corner Mullen’s delivery was headed down by McGregor. As McKenzie looked to get a shot away on the turn he was saved the trouble by Forde who prodded it home. With twenty minutes to go Pollok had their two-goal cushion.

Forrester reacts to Forde’s second. (FT)

McGregor came close to completing his hat-trick with an audacious nutmeg to put him clear of the defence. Unfortunately his shot went over the bar. Longmuir was then called into action to tip round a shot from outside the box. From the corner Pollok broke quickly and although Christie was initially held up by the last defender the ball broke to McGregor who passed to Kerr and he produced a low finish to make the final score 5-2.

Kerr fires home the fifth late in the game and celebrates with Gow. (JG/FT)

The crowd of 1133 was the biggest of the round and those in attendance had certainly been entertained. The next assignment for Pollok in their Scottish Cup adventure is an away trip to Brora Rangers and the chance to test their abilities against the Highland League side.

 

FULL TIME:

POLLOK 5 – 2 GALA FAIRYDEAN ROVERS

Man of the Match: Ryan McGregor

In his third spell at Pollok, the experienced midfielder continues to be a key player for his side. His two early goals gave the home side a foundation to build on and his all round play was crucial to an important victory. (JG)

Report by Peter Thomson

Photos from James Graham and Finlay Thom

Highlights from the Scottish FA and Mark Donnelly

Post-match interview with Stewart Maxwell

Petershill 1 – 3 Pollok: WoSFL Cup – 21.10.23

Pollok took the short trip to the north of the city to take on Petershill in the second round of the West of Scotland League Cup. The home team have made a decent start to their First Division campaign as they look to bounce straight back to the Premier Division.

Manager Maxwell made five changes to the team which started the game against Dalry when Pollok exited the Junior Cup on penalties. Ben Fry, Calum Gow, Chris Duff, Evan Maley and Hugh Kerr all sat out as Jordan Longmuir, Scott Forrester, Ross Lindsay, Andy Gallacher and Adam Forde returned to the starting lineup.

Manager Stewart Maxwell rung the changes after a disappointing Junior Cup exit in midweek.

Pollok were the first to threaten when a Sean Burns cross was cleared only as far as Ryan McGregor whose drive from twenty-five yards was gathered at the second attempt by Miller. Petershill responded with a long-range drive of their own. Former Pollok star, Derek Hepburn’s effort going over the bar.

Lindsay saw a deflected effort tipped over the bar by Miller and from the resultant corner Nelson’s header suffered the same fate as Pollok won another corner. Just as it looked like the away side might be starting to exert some control, the opening goal arrived at the other end of the park.

A long free kick was floated into the box and headed over. However the referee had spotted Lindsay holding back his man and awarded a spot kick. Higgins made no mistake from twelve yards out as he slammed the ball high past Longmuir to give Petershill the lead with seventeen minutes on the clock.


The Southsiders were level ten minutes later. A Petershill goal kick was headed over the defence by Jay Nelson and Forde raced onto it, before lobbing the ball over the keeper and in off the underside of the bar.

Forde lobs the keeper from outside the box before wheeling away to celebrate.

Petershill then had three shooting opportunities from free-kicks with two missing the target and the other one coming back off the bar, with Longmuir rooted to the spot. For the away side Gallacher and then Nelson both worked shooting opportunities but couldn’t find the target so the teams went in level at the break.

HALF TIME: PETERSHILL 1 – 1 POLLOK

Pollok started the second half on the front foot and gained a territorial advantage without creating too many clear-cut chances. Christie saw a shot saved after an enterprising run across the box and a couple of corners came to nothing. At the other end Burrows headed away a goal bound shot.

A ball over the top from Longmuir was beautifully controlled by Forde before a very clever lob came back off the bar. His next sight of goal however, was to have a very different outcome. With ten minutes to go, a Mullen free kick from his own half was headed down by McGregor. Forde was quick to pounce and took it round the keeper before finishing from a tight angle.

Forde showed fantastic footwork to round the keeper in a tiny pocket of space and give Pollok the lead.

A similar combination worked its’ magic as the game went into injury time. Mullen’s free-kick was returned across the goal by a spectacular overhead kick by McGregor and Forde squeezed a header home at the back post. It not only sealed the win and his hat trick but was also his 100th goal for Pollok. A tremendous achievement, with Forde being only the eighth player in the club’s 115-year history to reach that landmark!

Forde celebrates his 100th Pollok goal.

After the disappointing midweek Junior Cup exit Pollok merited their progression in the West of Scotland League Cup and the next round will bring another tough test – away to Clydebank.

FULL TIME: PETERSHILL 1 – 3 POLLOK

GOALS

PETERSHILL: Higgins (P)(17′)

POLLOK: Forde (27′, 80′, 90’+2)

Man of the Match: Adam Forde

Yet again, Forde was Pollok’s standout performer, dragging his side to victory with an outstanding hat-trick consisting of three very different goals. In his seventh season with the club, he is currently in the form of his life and currently sits on 17 goals. Reached a remarkable milestone today also as he hit 100 goals for Pollok. Here’s to many more!

Report by Peter Thomson

Photographs from Finlay Thom

Match Highlights from Mark Donnelly

Post-match interview with Stewart Maxwell

Pollok 2 – 2 Dalry Thistle (7-8 P)

Pollok returned to the Scottish Junior Cup after a brief hiatus as a guest club with a second round tie against Dalry Thistle. With torrential rain having put paid to the original fixture, the match was played under the Newlandsfield lights on a Tuesday evening.

There were four changes from the win over Camelon the previous Friday – Scott Forrester, Ross Lindsay, Adam Forde and Marc McKenzie all dropped to the bench as Matty Burrows, Jay Nelson, Hugh Kerr and Evan Maley were given an opportunity to impress from the start.

The home side started sluggishly and Dalry had a effort from distance go wide before a corner and free-kick into the box were comfortably cleared. In the twelfth minute a cross from the right was volleyed goalwards but deflected over Ben Fry’s goal.

With a quarter of an hour gone Pollok took the lead against the run of play. Some crisp, first time passes across the pitch gave Darren Christie some space to fire in a cross. The defender got a foot to the ball but it fell for Nelson who took a lovely touch before applying a composed finish into the far corner for his third goal of the season.

Jay Nelson fires home the opener. (FT)

Calum Gow had to make a last-ditch sliding tackle to prevent a one on one with Fry as Dalry continued to look threatening on the break. At the other end Kerr headed over the bar from a deep Christie cross.

Just before the half hour Nelson jinked past Mugwanda in the middle of the park and let fly from thirty yards with he ball crashing back off the crossbar. Kerr retrieved it and set up Chris Duff for a cross which found Maley but he could only direct his shot wide. Pollok were now in the ascendancy and a Maley pass out wide allowed Christie to run at the Dalry defence. He cut inside but his shot was just lacking in necessary power or accuracy and Fairns saved.

Dalry equalised in the thirty-sixth minute and it came from a Pollok corner. As they threatened to break, Burrows launched himself into a crunching tackle on the half-way line. He took out man and ball but it broke kindly for Dalry and one simple pass put Jamie Catlow in behind the recovering Pollok back line. He expertly rounded Fry and passed the ball into the net.

In the lead up to half time Pollok managed three headers on target. Duff twice from Christie crosses and Gow from a Mullen corner. Unfortunately all three were too near the keeper and therefore comfortably saved.

HALF-TIME: POLLOK 1 – 1 DALRY THISTLE

The first real threat on either goal in the second half came after a miscommunication between Fry and Gow. The centre-half heading up in the air when Fry could have gathered the ball. The shooting chance presented was squandered though as it went wide of the target.

Pollok were starting to dominate territory but Dalry were looking dangerous on the break. Although the home side were getting plenty of crosses in and attempts on goal few of them were causing Fairns any real trouble until a flowing passing move ended with a low Forde strike which was pushed away for a corner.

The Dalry keeper was then forced to up his game when he clawed a Kerr header away after a curling Christie cross. If that save was brilliant, then his next one was even better. An Andy Gallacher strike from outside the box was heading for the bottom corner until Fairns got his right hand to the ball to push it round the post. Forde then had a chance from inside the six-yard box from a low Christie cross but couldn’t make the proper connection and it was easily saved.

A fierce strike from Andy Gallacher was well saved. (JG)

With one minute left of the ninety, Dalry took the lead – long pass from midfield evaded Forrester and Adain Catlow got in behind. Fry managed to block his first effort, but the ball hit Catlow and fell kindly for him to roll the ball into the empty net whilst lying on the deck.

Into injury time – and there was to be plenty of it – Pollok threw everything at it, and in the ninety-sixth minute they found an equaliser. Christie drove into the box and fizzed in a low drive. It was saved but Ryan McGregor was on hand to fire home the rebound from close range. With injury time lasting into the 101st minute, Pollok still had time to see a strong penalty claim denied and a Kerr header saved. Dalry saw Aidan Catlow sent off for an altercation with Forrester.

Ryan McGregor grabs an equaliser deep into stoppage time. (JG)

So after a pulsating second half it was two apiece and straight to penalties. The first four for each side were dispatched. Fry being sent the wrong way for each of Dalry’s efforts whilst Kerr’s just squeezed in after Fairns got a hand to it. With Dalry’s fifth penalty, Love hit the bar allowing Forde the chance to win it, and although his penalty was well struck, Fairns’ outstretched hand managed to push it away.

Dalry’s fifth penalty crashed off the bar, but Adam Forde missed the chance to win the tie for Pollok.

In sudden death the quality of the penalties continued to be exceptional. Gallacher, Lindsay and Burns all scoring confidently for Pollok in response to successful Dalry spot kicks. Etherson then scored to make it 8-7 meaning Forrester had to score to keep Pollok in the cup. His penalty to the keeper’s left was saved and Dalry celebrated. However the drama was not over. The assistant referee signaled there had been an infringement and after a protest the Dalry manager was sent off. Forrester went the other way with his retaken attempt but this was also saved and Dalry were through to the next round 8-7 on penalties.

Scott Forrester missed the crucial penalty (twice) to hand victory to a jubilant Dalry. (FT/JG)

FULL TIME: POLLOK 2 – 2 DALRY THISTLE (7-8 ON PENALTIES)

GOALS

Pollok: Nelson (15′), McGregor (90′ + 6)

Dalry Thistle: J. Catlow (36′), A. Catlow (89′)

Attendance: 392

Pollok Man of the Match: Jay Nelson

Despite the result, Nelson was a threat throughout, opening the scoring and creating several chances.

Report by Peter Thomson

Photos from James Graham & Finlay Thom

FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS FROM MARK DONNELLY:

 

POST-MATCH INTERVIEW WITH STEWART MAXWELL:

Pollok 6 – 2 Camelon Juniors: SRCC R3 – 13th October 2023

Pollok welcomed Camelon to Newlandsfield under the Friday night lights for the third round of the South Challenge Cup. Whilst the home side had been enjoying a record-breaking win over Saltcoats in the previous round Camelon had overcome Dunipace with a 4-2 victory.

Pollok made three changes from the draw against Troon. Ben Fry came in for Jordan Longmuir in goal, Callum Gow returned to the side at the expense of Matty Burrows and Chris Duff was given a start in place of Andy Gallacher.

Ben Fry took his place in goals for the first time since mid-August. (JG)

Shooting down the hill Pollok started brightly. Some nice interplay between Duff, Marc Mackenzie and Adam Forde could have set Darren Christie up but the final pass was just a bit too strong and ran through to the keeper. McKenzie then sent in a looping cross which had the defence turned. The clearing header fell to Forde who volleyed over the bar. The result was the same moments later when Mullen found some space but his shot was always on the rise.

The opening goal arrived in the tenth minute. Ross Lindsay intercepted a pass out of defence and expertly played the ball into Forde. He controlled it beautifully before playing it into space for Christie to run on to. Given a sight of goal he made no mistake in bulleting a shot into the top corner.

Christie fires home the opener and celebrates in front of the fans.

The home side were dominating and more good work by Lindsay set up a shooting chance for Forde but his effort from thirty yards was well saved. Pollok’s lead was then doubled in the twentieth minute when a pass out of defence by Gow found Christie. He set off on a run across the park before passing to Sean Burns. His route to a cross was blocked so he passed back to Christie who delivered an inswinger into the danger area. Duff ghosted in to glance a header into the net. A goal that no doubt delighted the coaching staff with the right winger crossing from the left for the left winger to head home.

Duff celebrates the second goal.

A terrific interchange of positions and use of the space. It was also Pollok’s 50th goal of the season!

Camelon got themselves right back into the game five minutes later. A misplaced Forrester pass was quickly returned in behind the Pollok backline and Walker ran on to it and coolly applied the finish past Fry.

Pollok restored their two-goal advantage in the thirty-ninth minute. The ball broke free in the middle of the park and Lindsay played a first time pass to Christie. He ran at the Camelon defence and they backed off until Christie found a half-yard of space inside the box to fire home an unerring finish into the bottom corner.

Duff then got through but his attempted lob wasn’t quite high enough and this was followed by Scott Forrester volleying over a Forde flick on as the Lok looked to establish an insurmountable lead. The fourth goal did arrive before half-time and it came from a Camelon error. A short back pass was pounced on by Forde who rounded the keeper and guided it home from a tight angle.

Forde squeezes the ball in from a difficult angle for 4-1.

HALF TIME:

POLLOK 4 – 1 CAMELON JUNIORS

Pollok began the second half as they ended the first – scoring goals. Lindsay again made the interception to allow Ryan McGregor to pass to Forde. His through ball took a deflection which allowed Duff to take a Bergkamp-esque touch to get in behind and he rifled into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.  

A period of sustained possession ended with a floated Burns cross from which Forde looped a header towards goal but it didn’t quite manage to get over the keeper. His next header did find the net. After a Mullen free-kick, Christie chipped a cross to the back post. McGregor headed it back across goal and Forde was there to head home and make it 6-1 a few minutes before the hour mark.

Forde made it fourteen for him this season with Pollok’s sixth of the evening.

Camelon didn’t give up and saw an overhead kick go wide before Pollok substitute Evan Maley then had a glorious chance at the other end as he latched on to a long ball over the top and had only the keeper to beat but his low shot was well saved. The away side did get a second goal in the 77th minute when Jordan Allan was caught in possession and although the initial shot was blocked, when the ball was played back in Camelon worked it well to create a shooting opportunity for Dolan. His low shot took a slight deflection as it squeezed into the bottom corner leaving Fry helpless.

The final action of the night saw a Camelon free-kick swung into the box. The ball deflected up and hit Gow’s hand giving Camelon a chance to add to their tally from twelve yards. Fry dived to his left to save and Gow was sharpest to react to clear away the rebound.

Fry didn’t have much to do during the game but stepped up to save a late penalty.

FULL TIME

POLLOK 6 – 2 CAMELON JUNIORS

Goals

Pollok: Christie (10′,39′), Duff (20′,49′), Forde (44′,57′)

Camelon: Walker (25′), Dolan (77′)

Attendance: 569

Man of the Match: Darren Christie

Daz was a live wire right from the first minute. He gave the Camelon left back a torrid time and chipped in with two goals, an assist and was heavily involved in Pollok’s fifth also.

 

Report by Peter Thomson

Photos from James Graham

 

Full match highlights from Mark Donnelly

Post-match interview with Stewart Maxwell

In Conversation With: Ross Lindsay

Few footballers can say that their career has taken them from Cumbernauld to California, with a stop at Kentucky in between. That is a part of the journey that has brought midfielder Ross Lindsay to Newlandsfield. 

We sat down with the midfielder to discuss a fascinating career, featuring some big names and some big moves. 

____________________________________________________________________________

What are your earliest memories of football and what were the first clubs you played for?

My earliest memories of football are probably the same as most boys, just being out on the streets either kicking a ball about myself, or down the park with my pals playing all hours of the day. I went into St Mirren when I was around four or five at their community coaching sessions and then got picked up from there.

A young Ross Lindsay perfecting his left peg on trial with Real Madrid.

 

You came through the academies of both St Mirren and Kilmarnock – what did you take away from your experiences at such a well-established clubs, and who did you play alongside?

Both clubs were great for me. I was at St Mirren from about five years old until I was 15/16. The coaching was brilliant and I played with a lot of great players. The best and biggest names I played with there were probably John McGinn & Kenny McLean.

Pictured at the age of twelve during his time at St Mirren where he shared a pitch with future Scotland internationals John McGinn & Kenny McLean.

I then moved to Kilmarnock after not going to get a chance at St Mirren due to playing in the position as the above two! I loved my time at Killie. The coaching were great and we were allowed to play good football. I was there with Mixu Paatelainen & Kenny Shiels who wanted to us to pass the ball around which I loved. A lot of my teammates at Killie went on to play at senior levels like Matty Kennedy, Rory McKenzie & Mark O’Hara to name a few.


Next up was your first foray into senior football with Clyde. How different was this from U20/Reserve football and how did you adapt?

Going from full time U20s football, to training twice at week at night with men took some time to get used to. It was a lot more physical instead of the typical passing football that most academy teams play.

 

Who would you say is the best player you have played with and against in your career?

With – Probably the best/biggest namedrop is Riyad Mahrez. When he infamously came over for a trial at St Mirren, I played in midfield with him in a game at Ferguslie Sports Centre in Paisley where he scored two. I would also say Kenny McLean & Matty Kennedy would be the ones that I played with regularly at youth level who were the best. If I can count training, I also had a few sessions with Alexei Eremenko at Killie who was unbelievable. Some of his touches and the passes that he could play were brilliant.

Against – I played a reserve game against Paddy McCourt at Celtic who was brilliant. He would glide across the park with the ball glued to his foot.

 

After a year at Clyde, you crossed the Atlantic and enrolled at Campbellsville University in Kentucky, turning out for their CU Tigers football team. How did this move come about.

At Clyde I felt that I was not being involved as much as I should have been. I wanted to do something different where I could see a bit of the world, get back into a full-time environment and also look to get a degree. I got in touch with a US scholarship agency called Soccer Innovation who got in touch with different universities and sent my highlight video out to them. I decided to go to Campbellsville University who were based in a small town in Kentucky. I liked what the coach had to say, and liked that the team had a lot of international players who I could learn from on and off the park.

 

The first cross-Atlantic stop was Campbellsville University Tigers in Kentucky.

 

How different was being a footballer in US to being a player in Scotland at this time, and was it a challenge to balance the playing career with your studies?

Very different! We trained every day there. During pre-season or “Hell week” as they called it, we would train three times a day starting at 6am running up hills with teammates on your back. It took some time to get used to and to acclimatise with the humidity and heat being up at 40 degrees on some days. It took time as well to effectively combine it with my studies as we would train and then you would have breakfast and then go straight to your classes for the day.


You also turned out for the tremendously named Thunder Bay Chill in Canada, before moving to California with Fresno Fuego in California. What was that like?

I loved my time at Thunder Bay Chill.  It was a small town in Canada but we played in the PDL League (now USL League 2). It was a great setup and they really looked after you. Again, I played with a lot of good players from different countries whom I got to know really well and I still keep in touch with some of them today.

Fresno Fuego was a different experience. Also in the USL League 2, they played in the baseball team’s stadium and would get big crowds. With it being in the middle of California, a lot of the population were Hispanics, as were a lot of my teammates so I stood out! There was a lot of quick, technical football being played there which I enjoyed.

With Californian outfit Fresna Fuego.

 

Overall, how was your experience of playing overseas and what did you learn from your time in North America?

I loved it. I got to travel across pretty much all of North America playing against different types of players from all over the world. I learned a lot from them and from their culture which helped me on and off the park.

 

You returned to Scotland with Broomhill in 2018. Having spent a couple of years out of the country, how did that move come about and were you glad to be back in Scotland?

I came home from the US after five years and was just looking to get in at as high a level as I possibly could. The move came about through Thomas Collins (at Clydebank). He knew the manager who then asked me to come in. It took time to adjust as I felt the football was 100mph compared to the States but I slowly adapted to it.

 

 

After three years at Broomhill, you then moved to Caledonian Braves where you were coached by former Pollok forward David Winters and played alongside Scott Forrester and Luke Main. As a non-traditional club with the bulk of their support being online, what was it like to be involved with them?

It was interesting to say the least. As a relatively new club in an area where there are a lot of established clubs, they were always trying to grow the fan base locally and online. There would always be something new that the social media team would get the boys doing which you had to get comfortable with. I loved my time there. The coaching staff were excellent and they brought in a good group of younger players which created a great environment where the boys could pass the ball and play with freedom.

 

When did you first hear that Pollok were interested in signing you, and what was your reaction?

It was actually through Scott! I think Stewart Maxwell and Chris McFadyen came to watch a Braves game to see Scott and I had a half decent game. They liked what they saw and kept an eye on me from there. It was exciting as I knew how big a club Pollok were and I liked what the management team had to say. Before the interest, Davie Winters always spoke about how good a time he had with his brother Robbie at Pollok.

 

Ross signed for Pollok in June.


The crowds at Newlandsfield are a different beast from Broomhill and Braves. How do you handle the pressure of playing in front of a demanding fan base?

I just try and play my own game to be honest, but the crowds have been excellent so far. They come in their numbers and get behind the team, giving us that extra push when things aren’t going our way.


You have settled in well at Pollok with some strong early performances. How have you enjoyed your first couple of months?

I’ve enjoyed it a lot. We have some great players in the team and know that across the full squad, anyone can come in and play. It keeps you on your toes as you know that if you are not performing, then someone will come in and take your place.

In action against Glenafton Athletic. (Finlay Thom)


What are your aims for this season, both on a personal level and in terms of what you think the team can achieve?

Just to play as many games as possible and to contribute as much as possible to help the team. I think we can go far in all the competitions we are in. For the league, we just need to grind out more results and I think we should be up there if we do that.