IT never ceases to amaze how Stevie Rankin’s name is on the lips whenever a managerial vacancy occurs in Junior football.

He was strongly rumoured to be the replacement option when Stevie Swift quit his Kilbirnie Ladeside hot seat last month and he was no doubt given more than a passing mention at the weekend when news broke of Stevie Kerrigan tendering his resignation at Arthurlie, even if the Barrhead club moved quickly to install Chris Mackie as interim boss on Sunday.

The new man in charge was not slow off the mark either after putting together a backroom team comprising Jimmy Lyndsay as his No 2, Willie McCulloch as goalkeeping guru and experienced front man John Gemmell in a player/coach role.

Rankin himself was oblivious to all these goings on and spent Saturday afternoon on the Somervell Park terraces watching St Rochs, the club where he made his name as an uncompromising defender, emerge 1-0 winners in their Central First Division top-of-the-table clash against Cambuslang Rangers.

This week marks a year since Rankin’s near 40-year involvement on the Junior scene was brought to an acrimonious end with his sacking by Irvine Meadow.

Asking whether 12 months spent re-charging the batteries had him primed for a return to the game, he said: “I have taken in 90 minutes of Junior football every weekend other than a couple of months spent recuperating from a replacement hip operation and I’m happy continuing as I am. It would take something really special to lure me back.

“I would never say never but not being tied to a particular club allows me to pick and choose teams to watch and I’ve seen quite a mixed bag, though the best game by a country mile was St Rochs winning 1-0 against Cambuslang at the James McGrory Stadium which explains why I had to come along to Somervell for the re-match.

“It was another enjoyable and competitive contest between two evenly matched sides that you would have to say are both looking decent bets for stepping up this season.”

The former Ashfield and Medda gaffer’s watching brief has brought him to attend a number of top-flight games and he has considered views on how the Super Premier Division title race is shaping up.

“I don’t want to appear disrespectful to Rob Roy, but they are by far and away the Super Premier Division’s shock troops and have exceeded all expectations.

“Their manager, Stewart Maxwell, has quality players at his disposal in Kevin Watt, Shaun Fraser and full-back Danny McKenzie but it defies belief for them to be sitting top of the table considering three of their back four were turning out for Blantyre Vics towards the end of last season.

“Whether they have the resources to hold off the challenges that are sure to come remains to be seen but you can take it that Auchinleck will be in the hunt for a fifth successive title and I also think that Glenafton will win more games than they lose as Southy [Craig McEwan] has put together a side that is proving very difficult to beat.

“I’ve yet to see Beith but by all accounts they have it in them to be considered a serious title threat.

‘The battle for survival is just as perplexing as I cannot fathom why a team of Troon’s quality are among a pack of strugglers that also contains Hurlford United, Arthurlie and Kilwinning Rangers.

“You would have to say Largs Thistle are looking doomed but I’ve deliberately omitted Kilbirnie Ladeside from the basement battle because I think their new manager, Mark Bradley, and his No 2 Paul Ronald will go from strength to strength as they put their stamp on the team.”

Asked to gauge whether any West Region side would get their hands on the Scottish Junior Cup silverware this season, Rankin said: “The winner of the Beith v Auchinleck tie look a good bet to go all the way and I think Petershill could be involved in the latter stages.

“However, there are two top East Region sides, Bonnyrigg Rose and Kelty Hearts, remaining in the competition and they might take some stopping.”