KILWINNING Rangers boss Chris Strain may be relatively new to management ...

but no-one can deny his knowledge of players gleaned since frustrating stints as a full-timer with Kilmarnock and Queen of the South.

He was reinstated to Ardeer Thistle in 2000, and his displays there clinched a move to Irvine Meadow under Ward White before being enticed to Kilwinning Rangers - only the second direct transfer between the clubs in some 50 years - where he played under Gary Faulds and, latterly, Mark Shanks.

A disagreement with Shanksy saw him join Troon, where he played for their Super First Division and West of Scotland Cup-winning side then, at the age of 24, he joined Ayr United for a stay of 18 months before being reinstated by his father, Chris, to his all-conquering Irvine Meadow side that won four Super Premier titles, three West of Scotland Cups and three Evening Times Cups.

A brief Kilbirnie Ladeside stint was curtailed by a persistent ankle injury that required surgery and, ultimately, forced Chris to turn his attention to management along with Colin Stewart just over a year ago.

GOALKEEPER

CHRIS found the filling of the No.1 jersey to be anything but straightforward, saying: "Good goalkeepers can earn their team a certain amount of points over a season, and Adam Strain was fantastic in this regard for Troon, while Michael Wardrope won Meadow as many games as our strikers did.

"And, nowadays, you find Ally Semple (Cumnock) and Andy Leishman (Auchinleck), proving to be every bit as formidable, so separating these guys is far from easy. However, I will give Michael the nod based on the number of trophies we won together and his phenomenal West of Scotland Cup final performance against Ashfield from a few years back."

DEFENDERS

THE task of coming up with a right-back proved particularly arduous for Chris as he weighed up the respective Irvine Meadow contributions of his good friend, Stephen Swift, as well as the man he calls "his protector", Billy Mason.

He insisted: "Both were fantastic Juniors, but my most difficult opponent ever was Ian Gallagher (Kilwinning), who was strong, fast and so good in the air that he was guaranteed to score double figures every season.

"Coming up with a left-back was only marginally easier, considering I played alongside Neil McGowan at Medda as well as Paul Mullin at the Buffs, however, due to his athleticism, I think Swifty could adapt and switch across to play every bit as effectively on the left side and, just like Gal, he'd also chip in with a few goals."

He added: "Central defence is another area where I have an absolute flood of options as the Medda trio of Derek Wingate, Barry McLaughlin and Chris McGowan all had their moments, while at Kilwinning, we had the grumpy old men of Tam Currie and Mark Cameron, who dovetailed superbly and were both born leaders.

"I also had the good fortune to play at different times alongside the Campbell brothers at Meadow Park - Martin and Mark - who both had all the attributes you'd want in a Junior stopper, but if pushed, I'd go for Martin ahead of Mark as he was slightly quicker!

"So my dream pairing is Martin Campbell with Mark Cameron tucked behind him as Branco's distribution from the back was terrific, and his shelling long, diagonal balls saw his left foot jokingly nicknamed the 'One O'clock Gun' by Mark Shanks."

MIDFIELDERS

CHRIS is a huge admirer of the tricky Johnny McMillan (Cumnock) and Alan McTurk (Kilwinning) as they possess the all-too-rare ability to strike the ball equally as well with both feet ... yet neither has made the dream XI.

Instead, he has opted for another former Medda ace to play down the right in Gary Fleming, of who he says: "So strong, with pace, power and a great finisher into the bargain."

On the left, he has gone for Craig Conway, who played with Chris at Ayr United and had a short spell at Irvine Meadow.

Chris said: "Craig is a great example to youngsters coming into the game as he was never the most gifted of players, but nobody worked harder to achieve what he has in his career."

He added: "My belief is an engine room pairing that complements each other in terms of ability and steel is a must for any successful team, and I've played with and against a good few in Tommy Sloan and Stevie Farrell (Kilwinning), Mark Crilly and David McGeown (Meadow), Colin Spence and Stevie White (Auchinleck), and not forgetting Richie McCusker and Andy McLay (Maryhill).

"But for my Dream Team, I'm going to throw a curve ball and pick Duncan George of Irvine Meadow from back in the 1980s - and latterly of Ayr United - who was majestic and a Junior football equivalent of Paul McStay when I watched him playing as a team-mate of my father.

"Alongside him I'd play Tucker Sloan, whose goals from midfield would prove vital in any contest and you could bet on this pairing being able to handle themselves against anyone spoiling for a battle."

FORWARDS

CHRIS was fulsome in his praise for the goalscoring qualities of Norman Montgomery (Kilwinning) and Brian Dingwall (Pollok), but his liking for a Little and Large duo saw him err towards former Meadow team-mates Brian McGinty and Richie Barr before settling on a pairing of Gavin Friels (Auchinleck), alongside Gerry Peline (Kilwinning).

He said: "Gavin was so elusive in the box and worked tirelessly for the team, while Gerry was capable of anything and possessed skills that made him the true talisman of the 1999 Kilwinning team.

"My selection includes some truly great Juniors and would take some beating."

THE LINE-UP

Wardrope, Gallagher, Martin Campbell, Cameron, Swift, Fleming, Sloan, George, Conway, Friels, Peline. Substitutes: Currie, McTurk, Farrell, Barr and Strain (GK).