AXED Irvine Meadow assistant manager Murdie MacKinnon has hit out at the club's treatment of himself and former boss Stevie Rankin as the struggling club step up their search for a successor

Rankin and MacKinnon, who had been in charge for two-and-a-half seasons were sacked following a meeting with the committee last Tuesday with the team anchored to bottom spot in the Premier Division with only four points from nine games.

Now speculation is mounting on who could be coming in to replace them.

Brian McGinty and fellow former player Chris Strain Jnr, now manager of Kilwinning Rangers have been tipped in fans' forums for the job along with Auchinleck Talbot assistant boss Allan McLuckie and Rossvale Juniors manager Martin Lauchlan.

And Meadow aim to move quickly as it is hoped someone will be in place by a week on Saturday.

Dejected MacKinnon said: "The decision was sudden and it was harsh. I would say the club showed us a lack of respect and I feel sorry for Stevie, who has worked so hard for the club in the past couple of seasons.

"We exceeded our remit which was to stay in the Premier Division. The first season we only lost the title by three points and last season we finished third as well as reaching the semi-finals of the West of Scotland Cup. I accept league results have not been good this season but Stevie and I were confident we could have turned things around. We are in the fourth round of the Scottish Junior Cup and the third round of the West of Scotland Cup. I would like to thank the fans for all the support they gave us and all the players who feature during our time there."

Meadow chairman Robert Jeffrey said: "I can confirm that the Irvine Meadow management team were relieved of their duties last Tuesday. It was a committee decision. We felt that the last six month of last season and this season have not been good enough and it was time for a change.

"We have had four league wins out of 24. and football is a results-driven business. Irvine Meadow are a big club. The job has been advertised and we have had a good response so far. The closing date is January 4 and we hope to had to do the interveiews and have someone in place for the Glenafton game on January 9. It 's going to be a difficult couple of weeks but I would ask the players to work hard and the fans to get behind the team."

Jeffrey would not comment on who was in for the job and said: "It would not be fair to speculate at this stage."