Captain Beejay Coll is convinced Stranraer’s new look defence can hit the ground running.
Sean Docherty, Joe McGrath and Lewis Reid all left during the close season with Chris Aitken bringing in Connor Cameron, Mark McLuckie and Kenzi Nair.
The defence will be given a first competitive test when Ayr United visit The LIME Stadium at Stair Park in the Premier Sports Cup on Saturday.
Already, Aitken’s men have kept the opposition out when facing Larne, Dundela and Greenock Morton.
Coll said: “I think it is the clean sheets that please me as a defender the most.
“I think we have changed shape – we have played a four, we have played a three – and we actually look really solid.
“I think the new guys that have come in have done brilliantly as well.
“At the start of the pre-season, if the gaffer did not sign centre backs he would not have had any.
“We have signed two, maybe three, Edin Lynch has come back and I think those guys have been excellent.
“They have formed a partnership quite quickly and all three of them have played together.”
Aitken has been busy reshaping his squad after narrowly missing out on the promotion play-offs at the end of last season.
Thirteen players have departed the club while nine have come into the home dressing room at Stair Park.
Pre-season can often be daunting for players as they look to get themselves up to speed.
However, Coll felt he and his team-mates were heading in the right direction ahead of competitive action.
He said: “To be fair, for myself, pre-season has got easier as I have got older because I have started to look after myself a bit more.
“I think everybody takes maybe a week or 10 days off but as soon as the season is finished everybody does their own personal one-to-ones or gym programmes.
“A lot has changed from when I was coming through as a youngster.
“On the second day of pre-season, we did testing.
“Everybody’s results were brilliant for just coming back.”
Stranraer’s pre-season came to an end when they battled out a goalless draw at Cappielow.
One man missing from that line up was Coll, who had more important business last Saturday.
The 31-year-old was becoming a dad and said: “It is going well.
“She came a wee bit early but just glad she is here now.”
Last meeting
Ayr United survived an early penalty shout to go on to emerge victorious against Stranraer earlier this year.
Curtis Main opened the scoring from close range with 10 minutes on the clock. A Stranraer free-kick was turned on to the crossbar at the other end before Ronan Hughes turned home James Dolan’s cross.
Ayr would be back in front as Ben Dempsey scored from the penalty spot after Scot Rough was penalised. Everton loanee George Finney added to the advantage before the break and the scoring was wrapped up when Dom Thomas curled home an impressive fourth.
Ayr United: L Russell, Dick, Want (Brown 46), King, McMann, Finney (Holy 64), Bannigan, Dempsey (Simpson 78), Dowds (McRoberts 78), Main (Thomas 64), Bonnar.
Not used: K Mitchell, Smith and D Mitchell.
Stranraer: Lane, Reid, Rough, Docherty, Coll, Dolan, McKnight (Stuart 63), M Russell (McManus 63), Hughes (Quigg 74), Hunter (Cleland 63), Lang (O’Donnell 74).
Not used: Ecrepont, Dunne and Henderson.
Last five meetings
- Ayr United 4 Stranraer 1 (Main, Dempsey (Pen), Finney and Thomas; Hughes) at Somerset Park on January 13, 2026
- Ayr United 1 Stranraer 1 (Ayr United win 6-5 on penalties) (McCowan; Duffy) at Somerset Park on November 14, 2020
- Ayr United 2 Stranraer 2 (Stranraer win 6-5 on penalties) (Moffat and Kelly; Cummins x2) at Somerset Park on July 27, 2019
- Ayr United 1 Stranraer 2 (Adams; Anderson and Agnew (Pen)) at Somerset Park on April 14, 2018
- Stranraer 1 Ayr United 5 (Turner; Shankland x2, Moffat and Forrest x2) at Stair Park on January 2, 2018
Last five games
Stranraer
- WIN v Elgin City (A): 0-1 (Foster)
- DRAW v Stirling Albion (H): 1-1 (Lang)
- LOSS v Forfar Athletic (H): 0-1
- WIN v Spartans (A): 1-2 (Turay and Quigg)
- DRAW v Dumbarton (H): 1-1 (Dunne)
Ayr United
- LOSS v St Johnstone (H): 0-1
- LOSS v Airdrieonians (A): 2-1 (King)
- LOSS v Ross County (A): 2-1 (Dowds)
- WIN v Arbroath (H): 1-0 (Murphy)
- LOSS v Dunfermline Athletic (H): 0-3
Last time out
Stranraer
Lineup v Elgin City: Currie, Ecrepont, Reid, McGrath, Docherty (Gillies 62), Lynch, McKnight (Dunne 61), Hughes, Hunter (Dolan 62), Edgar (Foster 61), Cleland (McManus 74).
Not used: Coll and Tas.
Ayr United
Lineup v St Johnstone: Mitchell, McAllister (Finney 66), Dick, Holt, King (Douglas 76), McMann (Watret 62), Bannigan, Dempsey, Murphy, Hislop (Summers 67), Dowds.
Not used: Want, Turley, McRoberts, Thompson and Russell.
Pre-season
Transfers
Stranraer
Ins: Murray Binnie (St Johnstone), Connor Cameron (Renfrew), Dean Cleland (Hibernian), Lewis Dobbie (East Kilbride), Aaron Healy (Arthurlie), Mark McLuckie (Bo’ness United), Kenzi Nair (Heart of Midlothian), Dominic Plank (Heart of Midlothian) and Archie Traynor (Kilmarnock, loan).
Outs: Ryan Edgar (Cumnock Juniors), Lewis Hunter (Caledonian Braves), Deryn Lang (Dumbarton), Joseph McGrath (Hibernian, end of loan), Kirk McKnight (Annan Athletic), Corey O’Donnell (Annan Athletic), Lewis Reid (Ross County), Tommy Sharp (Cumnock Juniors), Lyndon Tas (Heart of Midlothian, end of loan), Sallu Turay (Linlithgow Rose), Sean Docherty and Robbie Foster.
Ayr United
Ins: Reece Lyon (Queen of the South), Luke McBeth (Partick Thistle), Kieran Shanks (Peterhead), Harry Stone (Heart of Midlothian, loan), Owen Stirton (Dundee United, loan), Ben Summers (Celtic) and Ross Taylor (Stenhousemuir).
Outs: Stuart Bannigan (Hamilton Academical), Jude Bonnar (Celtic, end of loan), Ben Dempsey (Partick Thistle), Ollie Ecrepont (Auchinleck Talbot, loan), George Finney (Everton, end of loan), Leon King (Rangers, end of loan), Lucas McRoberts (Bangor), David Mitchell (Queen’s Park), Kenzie Mitchell (Auchinleck Talbot, loan), George Oakley (Raith Rovers), Max Thompson (Newcastle United, end of loan), Scott Tomlinson (Dumbarton), Francis Turley (Celtic, end of loan), Kyle Ure (Celtic, end of loan), David Craig, Anton Dowds and Curtis Main.
Five facts
- The LIME Stadium at Stair Park has not hosted a cup contest between Stranraer and Ayr United for more than 20 years. The Blues have travelled to Somerset Park twice for cup ties in recent years but it was on January 25, 2005, that the sides last met in a knockout tie in Dumfries and Galloway. Even then, that was a cup replay! Six goals were shared in the original game at Somerset Park as Craig Conway, Andrew Ferguson and Darren Henderson found the net for the hosts. Gary McCutcheon, Kevin Gaughan and Derek Wingate replied for Stranraer. The replay would go the way of the visitors as Conway and Gareth Wardlaw scored before the break. The Stranraer team in the replay was: McCaulay, Wingate, Wright, Swift (Guy 75), Henderson, Sharp, Gaughan, Jenkins, McPhee (Fraser 63), Finlayson (McCutcheon 73), Graham. Not used: Aitken and McCondichie.
- Ahead of the first game of last season – a penalty shootout victory over Ross County – Stranraer had eight new faces in their matchday squad (Evan Dunne, BJ Coll, Jordan Stuart, Daniel McManus, Lewis Hunter, Sallu Turay, Ewan Henderson and Tommy Sharp). This season, there could be at least seven (Murray Binnie, Connor Cameron, Lewis Dobbie, Aaron Healy, Mark McLuckie, Kenzi Nair and Archie Traynor).
- Former Stranraer defender Liam Dick featured for Ayr United against the Blues last season and could do the same on Saturday. The full-back, who originally joined Stranraer on loan from Falkirk, left the club having made 94 appearances and scoring twice, including a memorable strike in a play-off semi-final against Livingston.
- Another player to have lined up for both clubs is Scott Agnew, who turns 39 on Saturday. The midfielder, who also managed Stranraer, was at Ayr United before the first of three spells with the Blues. He initially joined in January 2010 before returning to the club in the summer of 2016. Registered as a player, Agnew was appointed manager of the club in April 2023.
- Technically, Saturday’s match will take Chris Aitken above Jamie Hamill in terms of matches in charge of Stranraer. Both have been in charge of the Blues for 82 games. For Aitken, that includes a Scottish Cup tie at Aberdeen when he was caretaker manager in 2017. For Hamill, the figure includes games awarded to Stranraer during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as the 3-0 win over Greenock Morton on the opening day of the 2021/22 season.
Admission
Admission is ‘pay at the gate’. Season tickets are not valid for Saturday’s cup tie.
Away fans can enter the ground from the away turnstile opposite the main stand. This turnstile is cash only.
The following pricing applies:
- Adult – £17
- Concession (over 65) – £12
- Youth (5 to 16) – £6
- Under 5 – FREE
Pavilion Bar
Pop into our popular Pavilion Bar outside the away turnstile from 1pm for a pre-match refreshment with fellow fans.
Home, away and neutral supporters are warmly welcomed, and the bar accepts both cash and card.
Or, stop off at the Stranraer FC Fitba’ Bar on North Strand Street in the town centre, which is also open to all.
Merchandise
Our brand new replica away shirts will be available for purchase at the stadium. You can order yours online now, along with a range of Blues merchandise
As ever, the hut at the McLeans Taxis Stand entrance stocked with all three kits, exclusive Adidas teamwear, hats, scarves, umbrellas, pin badges, key rings, stickers and much more.
Cash and card payments are accepted.
Podcast
In this week’s edition of club podcast Look Blues Talking, we review all four friendly matches and look ahead to the Blues’ Premier Sports Cup schedule – starting with this weekend’s derby against Ayr United.
Coverage
If you can’t make it, you can follow our live matchday updates on X (formerly Twitter).
The manager’s post-match reaction will be available on YouTube following the game.
Club 1870 subscribers get a first look at the goals on Saturday night, along with full match footage.
Extended highlights will be available via YouTube by Sunday morning, with Brian Martin joined by Jethro Bremner-Allison on commentary.
Photos: Bill McCandlish, Dylan Heron, Colin Poultney (Collarge Images)