Loughgall Football Club’s pre-season schedule begins this incoming week with a testing tie against Scottish Third Division runaway champions East Fife at Lakeview Park, Loughgall this Saturday (19th) at 3pm. 
Before that, Niall Currie’s side will face local side Hanover at Loughgall Country Park this Wednesday (16th).  The village outfit have been training for two weeks and these friendlies will help prepare them for the launch of the IFA Championship in early August.
East Fife have already begun their pre-season schedule ahead of their tour of Northern Ireland with a shock defeat to Spartans of Edinburgh, who missed election to the Scottish league.
Last season East Fife proved that they were easily the best side in the Third Division amassing a huge 88 points from 36 games, losing only 4 matches in the process.  Their top scorer in the league last season was Paul McManus, formerly a youth player at Fife before being sold for £15,000 to Raith Rovers.  McManus found the net 17 times from 24 starting appearances and 3 as a substitute, even scoring 4 in the 7 – 0 thrashing of Stenhousemuir.