It’s Cup action this weekend for The Buffs as they welcome Muirkirk Junior FC to Buffs Park in Round 2 of The South Challenge Cup.
Muirkirk were founded in 1937 and currently find themselves in the WOSFL Division 2, a division below The Buffs. Manager Ross Cusick joined the club from Benburb FC Under 20’s and has a very good record since taking over “The Kirk”. A few notable names have featured for The Kirk over the years including ex Rangers and Scotland captain Eric Caldow who made 265 appearances over a 14-year spell at Ibrox and also earned 40 caps for Scotland.
Despite being from a lower division Muirkirk will be full of confidence coming to Buffs Park after only being defeated once this season to Forth Wanderers, last weekend. The Kirk currently sit atop the WOSFL after 7 wins from their opening 8 games, scoring 27 and only conceding 10 along the way. Muirkirk have earned impressive 7-1 and 6-2 victories so far this season, with top scorer Ethan Brew netting 7 already, 4 more than any Buffs man. Ex Buffs man Alan Semple will likely feature for the visitors this weekend after joining the club from The Buffs during the summer. Semple has scored in both last 2 matches and will be looking to continue his form in the hope of helping his side get past The Buffs. Last season saw The Buffs make it to the quarter finals of this competition, hammering Albion Rovers 3-0 along the way, whilst The Kirk couldn’t make it through a round of any cup. We could see another appearance for forward Dylan Mackin this weekend as he looks to regain match sharpness after such a lengthy period out with injury, only making his comeback last week in a 25-minute cameo at Valefield Park
The Buffs will be looking to raise morale with a win after conceding in the last minute to lose 2 points against Kilbirnie last weekend but will need to ensure a good performance to avoid a cup upset against an on fire Muirkirk.
