As February gets set to come to a close, Ayrton Sonkur is keen to build on last week’s dramatic injury time victory at Stranraer as his Spartans side return home to take on Bonnyrigg Rose in the latest round of SPFL 2 fixtures.

The defender, who was at the heart of what looked like an unlikely comeback as the sands of time ticked down at Stair Park, reflected upon recent events whilst turning his attentions to what will be yet another tough encounter.

“The win last week was massive after a couple of flat results at the start of the month and then digging out a clean sheet at Dumbarton.  To win in that fashion last weekend gives the whole club a lift and hopefully it can kick start us onto another good run.”

The potential run has been aided by two new recruits at Ainslie Park unveiled during the week.  Striker Marc McNulty joins Sonkur and the squad on the field whilst highly regarded Coach Paul Thomson is a welcome addition to the backroom team.   

“We’re all aware of Sparky’s quality and the standard he’s played at including for Scotland and him coming on board is a boost for everyone from team mates to fans and he’ll be a massive asset for us for the remainder of the season.”

“It’s no surprise in saying that Bonnyrigg have been a bit of a bogey team for us in the past but we’ve prepared well, we’ve had a couple of solid training session which have allowed us to work with Paul who brings lots of experience to the party too.”

After two games taking in the sights of Scotland on the road, its back home to Ainslie Park for Douglas Samuel’s side and it’s a welcome return to the synthetic surface for Sonkur.

“It’s a home game, the crowd will be behind us and if you look at the last couple of weeks, we’ve had to produce what we’ve done on fairly difficult pitches so it’ll be good to get back on a more preferrable surface that suits our style of football and hopefully it’ll warrant the result we’re aiming for.”

Kick-off is 3pm. 

The Spartans are delighted to announce the signing today of Marc McNulty until the end of the current SPFL 2 campaign, subject to International clearance.

McNulty has vast top flight experience with more than 400 appearances not only on both sides of the border but more recently, across the pond in America too. 

‘Sparky’ saw his senior career kick off at Livingston where he scored on his professional debut at just 17.  It was a remarkable journey with the Club who went from the 3rd Division to Championship in just five seasons. 

A move to Sheffield United followed and after loan spells at Portsmouth and Bradford, he helped Coventry to gain promotion to League One, winning the man of the match in the Play-Off Final victory over Exeter City.

The 31 year old moved back to the Capital to join Hibernian on Loan from Reading with a brief spell at Sunderland in the mix too. It was during this 2018/19 season where the striker was earned his two Scotland caps in the European Qualifiers against Kazakhstan and San Marino.

McNulty went on to make 44 appearances with Dundee United before making a move to America in January 2023, signing for Orange County SC in the USL Championship.

Speaking of the new signing, Manager Douglas Samuel said, “Marc has trained with us since the New Year and enjoyed it. He’s helped to raise standards in training. It’s an exciting signing and one to lift everyone, all the players, coaching staff and supporters.

“To bring in someone of Marc’s pedigree and quality can only enhance our prospects of ending our debut season strong.”

The Spartans have today strengthened their backroom team as they welcomed experienced Coach Paul Thomson.

Following his recent departure from East Fife, the Gaffer was delighted to catch up with Paul and with the season building up for the business end of proceedings, enhancing our coaching team with another quality addition is an exciting move.

Speaking of his decision to join the Club, Thomson said, “The day after it was announced I was moving on from Bayview, Douglas gave me a call and we met for a coffee.  I think we sat and chatted for around two hours about football and the culture here at Spartans. 

“It was something that I was instantly excited about, coming in and being a part of it really.  I was impressed not only by the way Spartans played in the last meeting with East Fife, but the style of football too. I’m hoping that I can come in and add value to the fantastic team that are already here.

“Hopefully I can come in and add value straight away, building on the experiences I’ve learned over the last few years in League 1 and 2.  The obstacles you can come over and the different times they come at different stages of the season, so its something I’ll be able to add in when I’m engaging with the Gaffer and fellow coaching staff.”

After a hard fought 0-0 draw on the road at Dumbarton in midweek, The Spartans make the 260 mile round trip to Stranraer, in round 24 of the 36 game debut SPFL 2 campaign.

With the treatment table having had its work cut out of late, positive shoots of recovery may see welcome returnees to the squad for a return trip to the scene of a seven-goal thriller last time the sides met at Stair Park.

The bond of togetherness within the home changing room is a place that finds Kieran Watson in a positive headspace ahead of the game.

“It’s a busy month so far with midweek games added in and we’ve picked up a few injuries along the way which we obviously weren’t bargaining for however the squad is strong and is more than capable of competing with what’s thrown at us.

“Going away to Dumbarton and keeping a clean sheet was never going to be easy.  You saw the desire from the boys during the week to ensure they took something out of the game following the disappointment of two narrow defeats.   The likes of Dish making that last gasp challenge on the goal line in the second half and guys just flinging themselves in the line of fire for their team mates was first class.

“Saturday gives us another tough game to channel our energies into.  I think I’ve a touch of PTSD from the last time we were there as I tweaked my hamstring!  Just like Dumbarton, the conditions above and underfoot will no doubt be a factor in how things pan out however we’ll carry forward the momentum from midweek onto the park and set out to bring home the three points.”

Admission Prices: Pay at the gate: Adult – £15, Concession – £10, 5 to 16 Years Old – £5, Under 5 – FREE.

The Pavilion Bar will be open from 1pm for all supporters.

Stats:

This is the third game between the sides this season.  The first being the seven goal thriller that saw Blair Henderson net the winner adding to goals from James Craigen, Rhys Armstrong and Jordan Tapping.   Meanwhile, in their final game of 2023, Spartans recorded a 3-0 win at Ainslie Park in December.  Danny Denholm with the opener before a brace for Ayrton Sonkur secured the points.

Whilst there are just eleven points and five league positions between the clubs, there’s very little to pick between them on a number of aspects:

The game is likely to be played in firm but fair fashion between the two ‘cleanest’ sides in the league.  Spartans ‘lead’ the Fouls conceded table having been pinged only 225 times, whilst just behind them sit our hosts on 240.  Likewise the Bookings table shows Spartans only picking up 36 yellows with Stranraer on 38.

They are also neighbours in the ‘Shots on Target’ department.  Spartans 72 v 75 Stranraer.  Out of those 72, 50% of them have landed in the net for Dougie Samuel’s men with 26 finding the target for Stranraer.

Other SPFL 2 Fixtures: Bonnyrigg v East Fife, Clyde v Dumbarton, Elgin v Stenhousemuir, Forfar v Peterhead.