A TESTIMONIAL will be played at Bellsdale Park to celebrate striker Kenny McLean's 10 years with Beith Juniors on Saturday.

The current squad will take on a team of all-time greats from the Garnock Valley club selected by Kenny, the game kicking off at 2pm.

Ahead of the game secretary Robert McCarter paid tribute to the player and said: "When Kenny McLean arrived at Bellsdale Park in the summer of 2007 no one could have known what was about to happen over the next 10 years with the striker at the heart of every historic event that was about to elevate the club into the history books.

"Frank Lynch - the then Beith manager had certainly introduced what would be one of the all-time great striking partnerships of the junior game and arguably the best ever seen at Beith Juniors in their 79 years competing at Junior level. I often wonder if Frank realised this way back then, but I believe he probably did realise it so we at Beith have a lot to thank him for just as we have the current management team for bringing the West of Scotland Cup, the Premier League title, the Scottish Junior Cup and also for bringing the man we are here today.

"It would be nice to say that Kenny was a quiet unassuming guy, but nothing would be farther from the truth. Kenny is an out and out winner and his biggest fault, if indeed it is a fault is not being able to accept anything less or at least only accepting defeat with the greatest of difficulty.

"This is the quality that leads most people to say he is a “Crabbit Wee So-and-So” it is also a major contributory factor in making him our highest goal scorer based on the record we hold since the 1980’s. In the 10 years Kenny has been at Beith he has been part of a wonderful group that has brought all the main trophies to Bellsdale and with his goal scoring record added to this must make him in the top 10 best ever Beith players.

"It has been enlightening getting to know Kenny since he came to Beith.

"On the park he hit the ground running, scoring 25 goals in that first season from 35 appearances. His pace was electric and playing on the shoulder of his opponent with that pace brought him many opportunities in every game he participated in, it was a pleasure to watch him and every time he got the ball the anticipation intensified from both Beith and opposition supporters. He will be remembered for scoring many wonderful goals.

"Kenny’s passion and loyalty to the club has always been easy to identify and it is there in abundance, his service shows this together with his determination to play for “The Mighty” as long as he can.

"He is recovering from a cruciate ligament operation and hopes to resume playing sometime after Christmas and I for one can’t wait to see him pull on a Beith swtrip again and look forward to the next goal from Kenny McLean (he is currently on 195 from 316 games) and to see him take the total through the 200 mark."