AMBITIOUS Ross Wilson is ultimately hoping to take Irvine Meadow back to the top of Junior football after becoming the youngest manager in their history.

The 28-year-old took over the Meadow Park hotseat on Sunday - just weeks after steering Kello Rovers to the Super League in his only season in charge.

He staved off opposition from other candidates - rumoured to include former Kilbirnie Ladeside boss Stephen Swift, ex-Cumnock and Arthurlie boss Mark Cameron and Gavin Duncan, who was also in charge of the Barrhead club.

He hopes to strengthen the squad and will meet the players this week as he assesses the squad.

Wilson took in the final game of the season on Monday, but let outgoing management team Gareth Turner, Michael Wardrope and Neil McGowan take charge as they lost out 2-0 away to Petershill. Now his work begins.

Former Saltcoats Vics player Wilson, who was also assistant manager of Lowland league teams East Kilbride - with whom he won the Lowland League Cup - and BSC Glasgow is positively relishing the challenge and said: "I enjoyed it at Kello and we had a three-year plan - we were one year ahead of it by achieving promotion. But this was too big a challenge to turn down. Irvine Meadow are a football institution - one of the top names in Junior Football in Scotland."

He added: "I am ambitious and will be demanding. I am a winner and want winners playing for me. A club like Irvine Meadow should be competing in the Super Premier Division. In the short-term I want to start winning games but in the long-term the target is to win trophies. I don't want players just filling jerseys, I want competition for places. Players will have to play every well to be picked."

He added: "I am looking at bringing in a couple of players at first. The budget at the club is very workable and I want players to be motivated not by their pay-check but by winning trophies. Everyone in the current squad will have an opportunity to show what they can do although some might want to move on."

Wilson ironically scored against Meadow in his playing career.

"I wasn't much of a player but it was a league cup tie and we lost 3-1," he recalled.

Meadow Chairman Robert Jeffrey is delighted with the appointment and said: "Out of the four candidates we spoke to Ross stood out, he did really well with Kello and has an A coaching licence. We want to be in the top four next season to get us into the top league as league construction is expected."

Meanwhile legends from throughout the club's history will be on parade on Friday, ko 7.30pm when Meadow Park hosts a Medda Legends challenge match between an Irvine Meadow XI Select team and a supporters' team.