KILBIRNIE Ladeside’s newest signing has said he wants to bring the club back to the Premiership after notching a goal on his first start.

Jack Haggerty joined the Garnock Valley side from Largs Thistle earlier this month, and the former Celtic youngster has made an ideal start to his life at Valefield.

Haggerty notched the opening goal in Saturday’s dramatic 4-3 win against Thorniewood United, as Ladeside moved to within a point of top spot in Division One.

Kilbirnie, who are still playing with fans banished from their home ground, got off to a perfect start as they raced two goals ahead thanks to goals from Haggerty and Ross McKenzie.

Thorniewood got on back before half time as the the home side went in one goal ahead.

Ladeside re-asserted their two goal lead in the second half when Chris Dallas converted from the penalty spot. Despite the goalkeeper diving the right way, his spot kick was perfectly placed.

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However, Thorniewood would not lie down, and levelled the match, which set up a grandstand finish.

As the game hit the 90th minute, Ladeside had a free kick from deep. The ball as launched into the Thorniewood box, where it evaded the head of both sides, but not the left boot of Mark Alexander.

He caught the ball sweetly on the volley, lofting the ball into the left corner of the net. It secured all three points in a dramatic fashion, with the only dampener being the absence of fans to celebrate with.

Speaking to the Herald, Haggerty said he was delighted with the battling win, even if he was disappointed that it had come to that.

He said: “I was buzzing to make my first start on Saturday and come away with the three points and a goal.

“We gave away a two goal lead which was disappointing but we never gave up and our resilience finally paid off when we scored the winner with only a few minutes left to make it 4-3.

“Ladeside is a massive club with big expectations so for us it’s just about getting as many points on the board as possible and hopefully helping the club get back into the Premier League.”