Darvel’s 3-0 victory over Rob Roy on Saturday was the outcome most pundits predicted beforehand - but few would have foreseen the anti-climatic manner of it.

There is no suggesting the Ayrshiremen were not the better team throughout this WOSFL Premier Division contest because some of their intricate passing passages of play were a joy to behold, while the sound no-nonsense defending of Kenny Marshall, ex-Peterhead centre-back Cammy Eadie and inspirational skipper Daryll Meggitt gave rise to thoughts of goals being difficult to come by against their resolute mindset.

Now it could be the case that too much had been expected of Mick Kennedy’s revamped side. A fair sprinkling of ex-Seniors arrived during the Covid-19 extended off-season, but there can be no denying a perceived lack of sparkle in the forward areas where first touch and an eye for an opening are crucial for any team.

Talented duo Darren Miller and Jambo McKernon are more often than not charged with making all the key plays but Rob Roy’s tight marking ensured the pair were not quite at it, and Darvel’s cutting edge was fairly blunted until the introduction of substitutes Alan McKenzie and Ryan Thomson provided the means to a more direct approach.

There is undoubtedly an extensive list of reasons for all to be cheerful in the home team’s camp, none more so than a three-points haul. However, the look on losing gaffer Stewart Maxwell’s face when he was asked if his Rabs side had lost out to the champions-in-waiting said it all.

Maxi fumed: "Look ,we’ve been beaten by a very good team but I cannot and will not pretend they were a world apart from my own players.

“To our credit, we competed well and never gave up the ghost in spite of a couple of Ross Birrell refereeing decisions which denied not one but two stonewall penalty kicks and were not too kind to us.

“And they were clearly turning points in the game, coming either side of Darvel’s opening goal at a time when we were showing good energy and posing them problems.

“Firstly, Scott Gold has got his head to a cross before their goalkeeper Chris Truesdale, who has followed through with an attempted punch after the ball was away and literally poleaxed big Scott.

“By the letter of the law, it was as clear a case of someone not in control and Mr Birrell followed that up at 1-0 by also turning down our loud claims after Daryll Meggitt blatantly used his hand to block a Robbie Leighton shot.

“Darvel’s second goal did knock the stuffing out of us somewhat and we were second best until the final whistle, but I honestly believe it could all have been so different if the referee had saw fit to apply the rules correctly.”

The Ayrshire outfit’s most recent acquisition - Ross Caldwell, ex-Blantyre Vics - justified the clamour to get his signature when netted the all-important first goal of the game in 16 minutes when a long throw saw Rob Roy fail to clear their lines and he pounced on the loose ball to fire home an unstoppable shot.

A clever Miller flick almost doubled this lead and busy Darvel front man  Jordan Kirkpatrick brought out the best in Rabs keeper Matty Kerr with a well-hit effort in 42 minutes which saw the No 1 pull off an acrobatic one-handed save at full stretch.

At the interval, Kennedy called for his players to put the game to bed and the gaffer watched on as Darvel started the second half in the ascendancy. Their efforts came to fruition just six minutes in as Rob Roy full-back Ian Gold’s mis-header dropped kindly for Kirkpatrick and he despatched a low shot beyond the diving Kerr for 2-0 .

With the clock ticking down, both sides turned to their bench and it was Darvel's combination of Thomson and McKenzie that came up trumps. The former made space down the left to fire over a cross and found his team-mate rising unchallenged to glance home a header from point-blank range to seal a 3-0 triumph.

A smiling Kennedy said afterwards: “I couldn’t ask for more than to score three goals, as well as conceding none on our first game back, and it speaks volumes that our goalkeeper Chris has not made a save of any note .

“Rob Roy are much improved from last season and were a bit sharper to the second ball than our guys over the first 15 minutes but Ross’ goal settled us and our becoming more compact from that point which allowed our extra bit of quality to tell.

“We might have scored a few more goals but to be looking so strong and robust is pleasing to myself.”

An equally emphatic scoreline was recorded by Premier Division rivals Troon away to Bonnyton Thistle through scores from Ross Barbour, Dean Fulton and Josh Black, while yet another three-goal return on the road was racked up by Cumbernauld United in running out 3-1 winners over Benburb.

Stefan Law's  first-half goal gave United a slender advantage at the halfway stage that was soon cancelled out on the restart when Kieron O’Hear netted for the Govan hosts. However, Kieran McAnespie’s men found another gear to add further goals from Tom Neil and Scott Thompson.

The Premier Division’s only other opening-day victors were Clydebank, whose ace marksman Nikky Little bagged the only goal of the game on the hour mark against Largs Thistle to seal a precious three points and help atone for him having a first-half penalty kick saved by home team goalkeeper Jamie McGowan.

The Seasiders played for over an hour with ten men following Lawrie McMaster’s dismissal for a lunging tackle, which led to the spot-kick award.

Elsewhere, Hurlford United left it late to salvage a 2-2 share of the spoils at home to Blantyre Vics. Midfield pair Taz McKenzie and Michael Wardrope scored in the closing five minutes to cancel out earlier counters from Vics duo Sam McKenzie and Gavin Millar, while Beith needed an 89th-minute equaliser from experienced front man Kevin Watt to earn a 1-1 draw at home to a Rossvale side that led through a James Finlay strike.

The WOSFL Conference Leagues were every bit as much a source of opening day thrills and spills, most notably through in Airdrie where one of the fancied title favourites, Gartcairn, succumbed to a 4-3 see-saw defeat against Port Glasgow.

Fraser McLaughlin and Johnny Gallagher were on target to earn the visitors a deserved 2-0 half-time lead that was wiped out by Fraser Scott and Martin Grehan (pen) goals for the Cairn once the second period was underway.

The Port led again thanks to Gallagher’s second goal of the afternoon but a Grehan header brought parity prior to the home side being reduced to ten men for the closing quarter of an hour after one-time Partick Thistle defender Steven Saunders saw red for a contentious challenge.

And the extra man advantage paid off when Port substitute Macauley McArthur was left unmarked to tuck away the game’s winning goal from six yards.

In other games, seasoned hitman Willie Sawyers helped himself to a hat-trick as Kilsyth Rangers hammered Drumchapel United 4-0, while another highly acclaimed striker, Kieran Brophy, netted a brace of goals in Neilston’s 6-0 thrashing of Lugar Boswell.