IRVINE Meadow were made to work hard for their 4-3 victory against Hurlford – after taking a 3-0 lead.

The scoring was opened by new signing Louis Kerr after just 12 minutes. It was a fantastic start to his Medda career after signing from Whitletts last week.

Callum Graham had a couple of chances to increase the lead, before Bydie missed a good chance at the back post.

But the next goal finally came just before the half hour when Graham hit a stunning strike past the Hurlford keeper.

In the second half, Medda got their third goal, and it looked as though they were well on the way to victory.

Kerr played in a nice ball to Bydie, who put the ball in the net with a stunning strike off the volley.

But just five minutes later, Hurlford pulled one back.

Paul McKenzie headed home from a corner kick.

Bydie had a chance to restore the three-goal cushion but was denied by the Hurlford keeper.

Hurlford then roared back into the game thanks to Mullen who headed home from close range after 79 minutes.

However, Meadow looked to have put the game to rest on the 84th minutes as Jamie Martin hit the back of the net with an exquisite curling finish from the edge of the box to give Medda breathing space once again.

But the match was far from over, as Hurlford scored their third in injury time.

A relieved Medda were delighted when the final whistle came, giving them a 4-3 victory.

It was a big win for the Irvine club with some excellent goals scored along the way.

The win put Meadow 13th in the WoSFL Premier League, though they do have games in hand over many of their rivals.

The result, however, was tinged with sadness when the club learned of the death of their former player Gavin Stokes.

A club spokesman said they were devastated, adding: “The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Irvine Meadow XI FC go out to all Gavin’s family and friends at this truly awful sad time.”