GOAL! Former Scotland Manager, Craig Brown, Proclaims Local Irvine Community Pub ‘Match Fit’ And Ready For 2018 World Cup After £140,000 Refurbishment

Scotland may have sadly failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup tournament, but for those still searching for a great venue to watch the matches, Craig Brown, former Scotland and Aberdeen manager has given a local North Ayrshire community pub his seal of approval.

Brown, who famously holds the record for the longest serving Scotland manager, dropped into the recently refurbished Harbour Lights in Irvine, North Ayrshire, for a spot of lunch from the pub’s newly launched and extensive menu of pub classics, meeting with local licensee Barbara Gorman and her team.

Supported by pub company partner, Admiral Taverns, the Harbour Lights underwent a significant interior and exterior refurbishment in 2017. A new food menu was launched in April of this year, specialising in delicious gastro pub food. The new menu has an Italian influence running through it, with pasta and pizza dishes for the locals to tackle. Old classics such as steak and Ale pie, three cheese macaroni and chicken tempura have scored highly with the community so far.

Keen to build on the pub’s growing reputation, the team have just completed the refurbishment of the pub’s function room and kitchen with a further investment of £60,000. This will cement the pub as the perfect venue for those looking to watch the World Cup and other forthcoming key sports fixtures this summer.

Licensee Barbara Gorman said “It was an absolute honour to welcome Craig Brown to The Harbour Lights and we are incredibly proud to hear his feedback. We have worked so hard to ensure the pub offers something for everyone in the local community. Our new food menu is proving to be a hit with locals and we’re looking forward to having our function room fully refurbished and ready, in time for the busy Summer season.”

On visiting The Harbour Lights, Craig Brown commented: ‘The Harbour Lights is everything that a good local pub should be. The service, food and atmosphere were superb and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Barbara and her team. I will certainly be back.’

David Balmanno, Admiral Taverns’ Business Development Manager for Ayrshire said “The Harbour Lights is a fantastic pub and a credit to Barbara and her team. It’s a lovely venue and well worth checking out to watch the World Cup.”