REJUVENATED Irvine Meadow striker Aaron Connolly has reason to forget last season's Marymass Derby.

He was on the losing side, despite scoring a goal in the game at Victoria Park.

Vics won 3-1 on a rain-lashed night to win the fixture for the first time in 11 years and enjoy the bragging rights as is customary until they meet again.

Now after a year of injury agony, which sidelined him for 10 months, he is raring to go again and hopes to ensure a torrid night for the Westenders in Friday night's derby showdoen for the Marymass Trophy at Meadow Park.

Connolly played his first full 90 minutes since last October on Saturday as his side went down 4-0 away to Cumnock.

He said: "I remember scoring last year and it was disappointing to lose so we want to go and make up for that defeat last year and win the game.

"This will be another step in my recovery.

"I know their manager Brian McLuckie, I played under him at Girvan a while ago. We look forward to the game, which we take very seriously, it was a feisty game last year. Irvine Vics are a very new team and in a transitional phase, hopefully we can take advantage."

Vics midfielder Ryan Singleton said: "It was great to win it last year, they beat us 4-0 in a League Cup match at the start of the season, but we didn't have a settled team at that point, we were trying out a whole lot of new players. But it would be great if we could defend the trophy we won last year.

Singleton is one of just four players to stay on at Victoria Park following a revamp of the squad under manager former Cumnock and Girvan boss McLuckie.

He said: "This is my seventh season. I hadn't signed anything but was happy with what I saw when I met the manager. I'm enjoying my football than I had for a long time.

"The boss likes to play a lot of football out from the back and that works well.

"The main aim in the league is to hit 30 points and hopefully that would ensure we stayed up. I've gone down twice with Vics before, so hopefully it will be third time lucky."

* Meanwhile the draw for the Scottish Junior Cup, now sponsored by Macron, will be made on the Scottish Junior FA twitter feed and live on periscope on Thursday, at 1pm.