Lowland League West title chasers Largs Thistle are considering an application to extend floodlights at Barrfields Park for their Scottish Gas Scottish Cup tie against Ayrshire rivals Ayr United, with the game a candidate for a Friday night TV slot.
Currently, the lights at Barrfields Park are only permitted to stay on until 9pm because of a curfew following objections from residents. However, with the derby a contender for the prime Friday night slot on November 27, moves are being made to allow the lights to stay on longer.
Potential TV clash
A bumper crowd is expected for the tie, which is among the standouts of the round against the Championship side and arguably the biggest match in the club's history. It is scheduled for the weekend of November 27 to 29, but TV bosses are understood to be keen on broadcasting the match nationally.
The club last month submitted a general application to North Ayrshire Council for a later floodlights time to avoid playing midweek matches away from home and is awaiting the outcome.
Club response
Asked if an application was being made, committee member Alex Anderson said: “This has been discussed, I think we will be in the position to put something out as a club as soon as we can, we are working hard behind the scenes. Everyone is pulling towards exploring all options although there is no guarantee it is not going ahead on Friday night.
“But as a committee, the chairman, the guys and the council are all working there to explore any possibility.
“We are getting appropriate help from the appropriate bodies. We want to be ready as a club for any possibility. Everyone in the town and the fans and people who back the club would generally like to see an extension.
“I think it is no surprise that long term we want to facilitate the league demands not just for the Ayr United game.
“We have played two games at Ardrossan and want to make sure we don’t have to do that on a regular basis, whether that is through the lights or negotiation with the league we don’t want that situation to happen. It is not sustainable for any football club.
“As far as I am aware there is cooperation on all sides and everyone wants the best for the town and the football club. We will find a way to make this happen. We need to be prepared to play when we are asked.”
