Kilmarnock - Rugby Park

Kilmarnock FC

Rugby Park

Rugby Road

Kilmarnock 

Ayrshire

KA1 2DP

01563 545310

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1526

Saturday 14th March 2026

Kilmarnock 1-0 Hearts

Scottish Premiership

KILMARNOCK FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

KILLMARNOCK are one of the oldest clubs in Scotland, having been established as far back as 1869. Despite the Scottish Football League being established in 1890, they'd have to wait another five years for admittance to Division 2. Kilmarnock would win the title in 1898 and would be promoted to Division 1 the following year after another title. They would have a good spell in the top tier, finishing 3rd in 1918 before being relegated in 1947. The team would remain in the Scottish Division B until 1954, when they were promoted after finishing as runners-up to Motherwell. Twenty years were spent in the top flight before a singular season in Scottish Division 2 saw them bounce back as runners-up to Airdrieonians. The early 80s saw them alternate between the top two divisions, but by 1989, Kilmarnock found themselves in the third tier. They stayed for one season, winning promotion back after finishing behind Brechin City. Since 1993, Kilmarnock have remained in the top tier for all but one season, following their promotion from Division 1 as runners-up to Raith Rovers. The exception was when they went down to the Championship in 2021, but they bounced back as champions the following year.

Kilmarnock have won the Scottish Cup on three occasions, the latest coming in 1997 as they beat Falkirk 1-0 in the final at Ibrox. They've also been runners-up five times. They also won the Scottish League Cup in 2012, beating Celtic 1-0 at Hampden. The club has had eleven seasons in European football. Kilmarnock’s greatest European achievement remains their march to the Semi-finals of the 1966–67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In an era when Scottish football was at its absolute zenith (the same year Celtic won the European Cup), "Killie" proved they could compete with the best in Europe. In the 1st Round they thrashed Royal Antwerp 8–2 on aggregate, including a 7–2 demolition at Rugby Park.

They then overcame Belgian side La Gantoise (Gent) 3–1 on aggregate. In the Quarter-final, they faced Lokomotive Leipzig. After losing 1–0 in East Germany, they produced a gritty 2–0 win at home to progress. They were eventually halted by Don Revie's Leeds United. After a 4–2 loss at Elland Road and a 0–0 draw in Ayrshire, Killie bowed out, just one step away from a major European final.

Player links between Wycombe Wanderers and Kilmarnock include the current Killie keeper, Max Stryjek. He played 82 times for Wycombe between 2022 and 2024 before a bad error against Barnsley (ironically, the same club and ground he made his debut at) saw him displaced by Franco Ravazolli. He went on loan via Crewe and then had a spell back in his native Poland before joining Kilmarnock this season. The other is Nathan Tyson, who had a very successful spell at Wycombe between 2004 & 2006, scoring 39 goals in 67 games. In 2017, he joined Kilmarnock but had a barren spell, playing 17 games without finding the net. He then returned to Wycombe, scoring 8 times in 33 games. The town of Kilmarnock is located in the Southwest of Scotland in Ayrshire. It has a population of just under 47,000. The first passenger conveying railway in Scotland originated in Kilmarnock in 1812 as a horse-drawn four-foot-gauge (1.2 m) plateway and became known as the Kilmarnock and Troon Railway. Famous people from include John 'Johnnie' Walker, the founder of the famous whisky brand and the footballer Billy Gilmour.

MY VISIT

This game was to be the centrepiece of the weekend, and the game being moved to 8 PM on a Saturday night meant that a double was easily doable. It wasn't so good for the regular fans, though, although it goes on all of the time, thanks to the TV companies. My prior research told me that former Wycombe man Max Stryjek was now at the club; he had left Wycombe under a cloud after faking a foul and dropping the ball in the last minute at Barnsley a couple of years ago. The referee was having none of it, allowing a very silly-looking goal to stand and probably rightly so. I also looked at the club shop, eyeing up some mini eggs with a nice souvenir tin.

We headed back to the hotel via Co Op, a 20-minute walk. We already knew Wycombe were 2-0 down; eventually, they lost 2-1. We were surprised to see fellow hoppers Richard and Anwar at our hotel entrance. They had left Aylesbury at 5 am to make the game at Pollok, had booked in the same hotel as us and were going to Kilmarnock. Colin, being Colin, wanted to go with them, and so we ended up leaving for the game at 5.30. I had a bottle of strong cider in my hand. The blog would have to wait. Just as well, as with his navigation skills, it added 30 minutes to the 40-minute journey. Nevertheless, we had left plenty of time. We stopped at the club shop where I got a tin of mini eggs and a stadium magnet for £4 each. Both are good bargains. It was then to a fancy hotel bar for a pint of Aspalls for the reasonable price of £5.50. This tasted good after a lot of sweet stuff, and it was a convivial and friendly atmosphere. We then went in, salt and chilli fries with curry sauce were a novel choice and very tasty. Then, later, an excellent Kilmarnock pie and some Irn Bru for £7.25. The former was delicious and helped break up the booze; the latter had similar powers, although it must have had a huge profit margin. Nevertheless, I was in good form for kickoff.

 

Kilmarnock were in 11th place and staring potential relegation in the face. They were on mixed form and had lost 5-1 at Falkirk in their latest game. Hearts were the surprise leaders, sitting five points clear at the top. They'd had two 1-0 wins in their latest two games, the most recent against Aberdeen. It was even early on, Kilmarnock hitting the right-hand post with a shot. Hearts brought impressive support, selling out the away end. Despite me being on the side of Killie, they missed a trick as the other three stands had bags of space. The game saw Hearts dominate, much to Colin's delight. I'd like to see an alternate winner to the SPL as much as anyone, but I was in the Killie zone. They had a chance, they took it. Michael Schjønning-Larsen, a cut-and-paste job if there ever was one, finished well, driving low through the box to give the hosts the lead. The second half saw Kilmarnock defend their lead, very boring to watch. Hearts were very flat and offered nothing at all. Not what you'd expect from potential title winners.

THE GROUND

RUGBY PARK is an excellent all-seater venue. Four large stands, all with perfect views, the official capacity is 15,000. Food includes the excellent Killie pie, and drinks are a wide range at a local hotel, very reasonably priced. Merch is a great range, all well priced with many innovative products. The ground is a bit isolated, but it is walkable from town if you are willing to put in the effort.

Hurlford United - Blair Park

Hurlford United FC

Blair Park

Blair Road

Hurlford 

Kilmarnock

KA1 5BN

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1525
Saturday 14th March 2026

Hurlford United 1-2 Cumnock Juniors

West Of Scotland Premier

HURLFORD UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1912, but not a lot of information is available about its early years. They first started to taste success in the early 1970s with two Ayrshire Regional League South titles, followed by being crowned Ayrshire Regional League champions. They joined the Scottish Junior FA Ayrshire Region in 1999. Starting in Division 2, they finished 3rd in their first season and won promotion to Division 1 after they won a replayed playoff game against Largs Thistle. They would only last one season before being relegated back, but a runners-up spot the following year saw Hurlford go up again.  The junior game in Scotland was reorganised at this point, and the team were placed in the West Region Super League Division 1. Finishes were mid-table at best, and in 2007, they were relegated to the Ayrshire League. It was another few seasons of alternating between the two divisions with Hurlford winning the Ayrshire League title in 2008 & 2010 with a relegation season in between. The second time saw them sustain their position, and then in 2013, they were Super League Division 1 Champions. Five seasons were spent in the Premier League before two in the rebranded Premiership. Another reorganisation in 2020 saw Hurlford become a founder member of the West of Scotland League.  Playing in the Premier Division, the best finish of 6th came in 2022, and they've been there ever since.

Hurlford United have played one season in the Scottish Cup but enjoyed a remarkable run in 2014. In the Preliminary Round, they drew 2-2 against Edinburgh University before winning the replay 5-0. A trip to Clachnacuddin followed, where they triumphed 7-1 in the 1st Round. Another victory on the road followed in Round 2 as they won 3-0 at Inverurie Loco Works. They drew 1-1 at home to Scottish League side Stirling Albion in the 3rd Round, taking them to a replay and drawing 2-2 before bowing out on penalties. They also won the Scottish Junior Cup in 2013, beating East Ayrshire rivals Glenafton Athletic 3–0 in the final at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock. Local cup wins include the West of Scotland Cup in 2018, the West of Scotland League Cup in 2022, four Ayrshire Cups, five Ayrshire League Cups, three Ayrshire District (Irvine Times) Cups, five Kilmarnock & Loudoun Cups and the East Ayrshire Cup in 2021.

The most well-known player to have played for Hurlford United is Ian Bryson. He came from their youth ranks before moving on to Kilmarnock, Sheffield United, Preston North End, Barnsley & Rochdale. Hurlford is a village in East Ayrshire, situated on the outskirts of Kilmarnock. It has a population of just under 5,000. Like much of the area of what is now the present-day East Ayrshire, Hurlford suffered greatly as a result of the interwar depression, which resulted in large unemployment numbers in the area. Hurlford's main economic history centred around ironworks at the Portland Iron Works site, along with additional iron work sites located in Lugar, Muirkirk and Galston, which contributed to the wider iron work industry in East Ayrshire.

MY VISIT

Once I had confirmed I was going to Kilmarnock in the evening, I had to decide where to go in the afternoon. The late kickoff gave plenty of scope for options. I was originally trying to make it a treble with a game in the Glasgow Saturday Morning League. However, the grounds looked very boring and the team that I wanted to see, Wishaw Wycombe Wanderers, did not have a game scheduled when I looked. That left me with Queens Park's tiny stadium, which, although being used in the second tier in Scotland, would barely be fit for a village side in England, almost certainly not good enough for the seventh tier in England, due to the sub-thousand capacity. Talk about going from the sublime to the ridiculous, having played at the huge Hampden Park for years. That left a load of West Of Scotland League grounds, which were far better venues. I opted for the one closest to Kilmarnock in Hurlford United. A bonus was that it was just 20 minutes from our Travelodge for the night. I researched the club and felt a really good vibe about a village team having a proud history. Although Greenock Morton was the highlight ground-wise of the weekend, this was the club I was looking forward to most.

From our game at Morton, we headed into Greenock to tick the Wetherspoons. We briefly met Sean, who was a good bloke and the rude and ignorant Ollie, who has taken against me, due to my friendship with his arch rival River. He obviously went to the same charm school as his obnoxious mother, as River is a great lad. Plus, for some reason, he also ignored his previous best buddy, Colin. Nevertheless, an Iron Brew Beer, a haggis and chilli pizza, and two pints of cider had me feeling fabulous. Although not as fabulous as another one would have me feel. It was good to finally relax after another day where travel was a pain. But Wetherspoons 489, The James Watt was a lovely building, great food service, but drinks service was very poor, and it was amusing watching Colin get frustrated at the staff. We were back in the room at 11.30, and I didn't feel tired, even at 1. However, five minutes of YouTube and I felt sleepy and went to sleep.

 

I only had four hours of sleep before waking naturally around 5. I listened to an audiobook for a couple of hours whilst Colin slept. He got up just after 7, and so I had time for a nice shower and got dressed. I got my blog up before we left at 8.30. Several train apps said that we could get a train, via Paisley for the Wetherspoons for breakfast and Troon, to Kilmarnock for under a tenner. Timings worked out well, but when we got to the station, everything was cancelled, even though we didn't touch Glasgow. Rather than run short and offer bus replacement, Scotrail would rather stick two fingers up and leave people to fend for themselves. We had no choice but to take the bus for £7.50, and by now, I was hungry, having banked on Paisley Wetherspoons for breakfast. The bus was far less comfortable than a train, but I did get some of my blog done. We were in Glasgow at 9.50 and headed straight to Wetherspoons. A revisit and city centre prices, but £6.50 was reasonable for a breakfast muffin, black pudding, haggis and cranberry juice. cranberry juice. It was delicious. After that, it was a five-minute walk to the stop for the bus to Kilmarnock. £7.70 was OK value, but the whole journey had cost us a fiver more on the train and directed us to a more expensive Spoons, all because Scotfail couldn't be bothered to provide any kind of service.

We were in Kilmarnock at 11.10, and it was a good service getting there to be fair. It was a five-minute walk to the Wetherspoons, the Wheatsheaf Inn. Colin had spilt egg down himself from breakfast and needed to go for a dump twice in the space of half an hour. I had a couple of pints but was still full from a late breakfast. From there, it was a 40-minute walk to our Travelodge. We dropped our bags off briefly and walked the 20 minutes to the game. It was all cash, which limited my spending, but I got entry (£10), a pen (£1), a can of Strongbow (£2.90) and chips and gravy (£2.60). All nice and great value for money. I felt a lot better after food, and I liked the ground and the friendly welcome. We were even invited into the boardroom at half-time for a free drink. Cumnock Juniors were also friendly, bringing strong support and inviting us to their place. It was a big attendance for the level overall.

 

Hurlford United were 5th in the league, having won eleven and lost eight. They were in a run of three wins in a row in the league, having won 5-0 at Thorn Athletic in their last game. However, they had lost 3-1 in midweek to Johnstone Burgh in the League Cup.  Cumnock Juniors were in 2nd and had won twelve, drawn three and lost four. They'd won three in a row, including a 2-0 win at Rutherglen Glencairn in midweek. The visitors, who had travelled around 14 miles, had dominated the game. They took the lead with a header on 19 minutes from Adam Forde. They continued to dominate and on 35 minutes, doubled their lead, Jamie Conn finishing from a tight angle. On 55 minutes, Hurlford pulled one back from a great volley from 20 yards. It was the visitors who just about deserved the win, but it was a highly charged local derby. A Cumnock player had a Hurlford player in a headlock, and so both sides had a man sent off for the retaliation. It was a combative game, which was enjoyable to watch.

THE GROUND

BLAIR PARK is a venue full of character. It is only three-sided, and of those that are there, they are tightly hemmed in. There are various small areas of cover on both sides, probably around 200 will be kept dry. There are steps of terracing all around and plenty of colour and stuff to identify who plays at the ground. The food, drink and merchandise offer good options at reasonable prices, though it is cash only. The club are super friendly, and various places such as takeaways and shops are located near the ground.