Kilroot Rec are still very much up and running

Rec pulled out of their Steel and Sons Cup tie against Championship 2 side Sport and Leisure and then their Border tie away to Premier Division Nortel but club supremo Mervyn Smith insisted: “It was just two cup matches, you don’t have to play in the cups – there was never going to be any danger of us not fulfilling league fixtures.

That Nortel game was called off because Kilroot failed to field a team and Skelly quit.

“It just didn’t work out for Jim, so he resigned. We wish him all the best for the future,” said Smith.

Mervyn himself is now holding the fort, assisted by Simon Hamilton and Kilroot were back in Division 1C action on Saturday, albeit losing 4-0 at home to third-placed Groomsport at Castleview Road.

Smith added: “We had 13 players out and around 12 missing. Even with only half a team, we were very much in the game in the first half but we weren’t helped by some contentious offside decisions - all at the wrong times!”

Jamie Wright, for instance, was twice halted by offside whistles in the opening 20 minutes with the game still scoreless.

Instead, Groomsport sneaked one against the run of play, before turning the screw with three further goals in the second half.

On Saturday, it’s back to Whitehead for the visit of Shorts.