A FORMER Ayrshire footballer who dodged jail “by the skin of his teeth” for selling cocaine has been warned he needs to do better on his community-based punishment.

Stephen Cargill, from Cumnock, was ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work – the maximum permitted under the law – after admitting supplying the class A drug over a period of almost six months.

Cargill, whose football CV includes stints playing for Maybole and Girvan, was put on a community payback order (CPO) last July after pleading guilty to supplying the drug at his home address in Barshare Road between July 1 and December 18, 2020.

The order also includes three years of social work supervision.

The 33-year-old appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court for a review of the CPO last week – and got off to a bad start when he was ordered to take his hands out of his pockets on entering the dock.

Sheriff Mhairi MacTaggart told Cargill: “I have reviewed your report. If it was a school report I would say you could do better.

“It’s not a complete disaster, but you’ve got to give it all your attention.”

When Cargill was sentenced last year, defence solicitor Neil McPherson told the court he knew his client well from football and had a mostly clean record.

He said: “He was a football player for some time and was sought after.

“He is spoken of very highly by his employers. Having got into his employment they think so highly of him they said he is going to get his job back and be reemployed.

“This is a lot for him and he is not taking this in his stride. He has told his employers what he expects may happen – and his son why he might only see him at the weekend but then not for some time.

“If he was lying to me I would know. He is in all respects other than this a good member of society. He would accept any alternative [to custody].”

At that time, Sheriff Mactaggart said: “I think I’ve already explained the view that this is one of the most serious charges.

“You have to appreciate that is an absolute scourge in our community. What you did here was one of the worst things you can do.”

Cargill will now return to court for another review in three months.