Academy Girls League and Cup Double!

 

The Academy’s Girls 13′s won the Academies first ever league title this season to become the proud champions of the South West B League for 2010 after defeating close rivals, Kilbirnie 4-2 in the final match of the season.

As the girls entered the game, they knew their opponents Kilbirnie could still win the title if they managed to defeat them, nothing short of 100% concentration would suffice for the young ladies. Here's how the final day went.

Ayr started the quicker of the two sides, playing some nice fast passing football and pressing well when their opponents had the ball but for the most part of the opening 10 minutes, the match was played in the visitors half with a couple of half chances going Ayr's way but still hadn't broken the deadlock.

 

This is not to say that Kilbirnie weren't a threat, as it was the visiting side that took the lead after a moment of miscommunication between the defenders and the Ayr keeper, that culminated in the ball landing in the back of the net. Miscommunication happens — as Alex and Petr Cech, of Chelsea, proved the very next day against Newcastle!

The response from Ayr was admirable and they recovered immediately, shaking off this disappointment to continue in the positive manner they had been playing.  Ayr continued to apply pressure until finally the ball broke to Caitlin Taylor in the penalty area who fired low past the keeper’s right hand post to equalize for the home side.  This visibly lifted the girls and soon it was to be 2-1.  

Caitlin Taylor found Dionne Mair in the centre with a great pass and with Hannah Taysum making a run beyond her, it made sense for the striker to lob the ball over the defence which found Taysum and the goalkeeper jumping together for the ball, but Taysum used her height advantage over the keeper to head the ball into the back of the net to give the Ayr girls a well deserved lead.

Before half time Kilbirnie had a great chance to equalize but a fantastic save by Hannah Davies, who had the vision to notice the break, came out and narrowed the angle to keep her team in the lead at 2-1 going into the half time break.

The second half continued as the first had ended, with opportunities at both ends but no efforts troubled either keeper. Ayr's central defensive partnership of Sophie Crichton and Nicole Carruthers were coping very well and began building counter attacks by taking on and playing one-twos past the opposition forwards leaving their oppositions defence outnumbered as they sped forward.  On one such attack the ball was played to Brooke Rawson who fired the ball from the right wing towards the near post. It was low and hit well, which the Kilbirnie keeper misjudged and it sneaked into the net to make it 3-1 for the home side.

Kilbirnie were visibly shaken by this as their heads dropped, possibly realising the game was beyond saving.  Ayr started playing even better at this point with Carruthers, Crichton, Mair, Rawson and Natalie Taylor all combining in a nice show of passing and dribbling skills and it didn' take long to add another as prolific goalscorer Dionne Mair got on the scoresheet with a low hard drive into the bottom corner of the net to make it 4-1.

Chloe Cuthbert’s incredible pace and Nicola Fisher’s dogged determination and quick feet helped Ayr to continue to make shooting chances but were unable to add another.

With about five minutes left, Hannah Davies again made a brave save when she knew a collision was possible but with a minute left on the clock, Kilbirnie grabbed a consolation goal that was short enjoyed by their players as seconds later the whistle went with the home support and Ayr players jubilant. 

This was a great performance to end an excellent season where the girls will have learned a lot and gained two pieces of silverware in the process.

Final Score Ayr 4 Kilbirnie 2

Head coach Paul McFarlane :

"The girls thoroughly deserved their victory this season, with a great team performance in terms of effort and excellent sequences of passing, laced with pieces of individual flair throughout.  The coaches are very proud of the way the girls have worked hard all season and they deserve a lot of credit for taking on board all the information they have been taught and then applying it on the field.  They are definitely going in the right direction. I would personally like to also congratulate Kilbirnie for an excellent season. Marshall Sloss and his well disciplined team have pushed us all the way this season and made the league’s final game very exciting.  I would also like to thank the parents for their support and dedication to get players to training and games on time each week."

The Academy are very proud of what the girls have achieved this season, two trophies in one season is phenomenal and sets the standard for all others to follow.

I suppose that's what you call Girl Power!
 

Kilb

Season 2010-11, The Story so Far

As the winter bites into the football season and matches get postponed all over the country, we look back at the season so far for the Ayr United Football Academy.

Early on in the season, it looked like being a successful one as the Under 13 girls got themselves off to a flyer by winning the Scottish Cup League Plate in a high scoring tussle with Kilbirnie in the final, played at the Toryglen complex in Glasgow.

August also saw the closure of Whitletts Primary school but not before the AUFA and the Co-Operative Insurance cup  teamed up to give the pupils a free coaching masterclass, given by AUFA Youth coach Craig Richmond before the Cup sponsors allowed all the kids to have their photos taken with the Co-Op Insurance Cup.

Panda Pals 1000 was also born this month, gathering funds from kind donations for two purposes. The donations involved are chase season tickets for under 12s to visit, watch and support Ayr United Football Club with all funds raised from this venture ring fenced exclusively for player purchases within the first team.

The Reserve team this season has also had its success, filled with the 19s squad, it's a major boost to the players confidence that the club has the willingness to call upon them and utilise the growing abilities of the players in this age group. In a bizarre fixture set up, last seasons Reserve League Cup Semi Final was played in August against a Dunfermline side made up of almost all first team senior players. It wasn't to be on the night at East End Park, as the Ayr team lost out but the performance was excellent, only just losing out on a place in the final but the experience was a great one for the players. The 19s were to get their revenge a few weeks later though as they defeated the Fife side on league duty.

As the season progressed, we saw some cracking matches with exceptional performances coming from all the sides at times. While the 15's and 17's remain unbeaten in league football so far this season, the girls 13 side have already brought home some more silverware for the trophy cabinet in the form of the Scottish South West B League Winners Trophy after a final day victory over Kilbirnie.

Some great performances have appeared this season so far with headlines of 'Pure Br17iance' from the 17s to the 15's in 'Seventh Heaven'. '16's Fraser Four Show Floors Clyde' and 'Five Alive For 19s' are another couple that spring to mind and not to forget the '14s Royal Flush'. All matches to savour throughout the season.

There have also been invitational visits to Rangers' Murray Park and Celtic's Lennoxtown training complexes for some of the teams. A worthwhile experience for all involved and visiting and playing at such great venues as this, only enhances the Academy as a whole and give the players involved a great experience when pitting themselves against the best in the country.

October saw the Aberdeen Branch of the Ayr United Supporters Club come up trumps again with their outstanding fundraising efforts on behalf of the Ayr United Football Academy and Alzheimer Scotland. The Granite City based fans handed over a cheque for £8,200 from their fundraising Football Quiz, held a few months ago at the Inn at the Park in Aberdeen. The money was divided equally between the two charities and means that the fans have now raised more than £50,000 on behalf of both organisations since they ran their first quiz night back in 2005. Round of applause please!


This season has also seen an influx of Academy players making their mark on the Ayr United first team squad. Jonathan Tiffoney has been a regular in the squad this season and has put in many excellent displays with many saying that he has been the best and most consistent performer so far this season. If you add in Ross Robertson, Ally Woodburn, Aaron Connolly, Sean Kelly, Dale Moore and Roddy Paterson, the Academy has had a huge impact on the first team squad this season and with a total of seven Academy players having signed professional contracts this season, the future looks bright for not only the AUFA but also for Ayr United Football Club.

Players in the Academy have sometimes had their injury worries. Dale Moore receiving a bad injury in the 19s Youth Cup match against Dumbarton. Andrew Muir broke his collarbone for the 17s and Chris McFadzean also received a bad knee injury also playing for the 17s. Roy Barr for the 14s was also out for about 4 weeks after a knock received while playing but due to the excellent facilities and backroom staff made available to the Academy, these injuries are treated in the proper manner with the players receiving constant medical treatment and physiotherapy ensuring they come back fitter that before they got injured.

Term time is always a time that parents are looking for things to keep their kids occupied and the AUFA once again ran a successful programme of coaching and training during the school holidays as well. The coaching however doesn't end there for the resident Football Development Officers at the Academy and Ayr United. 3 month long blocks of training and coaching are almost at an end but will begin in the new year with hundreds of kids regularly receiving the best coaching available in the area from SFA certificated coaches to help develop the young players skills and awareness of football, oh, and they keep fit as well.

The community programme is a large part of the Academy with varied programmes carrying on all over the county. The Academy’s first and biggest Programme was the South Ayrshire Football Development Programme which it continues to deliver in partnership with South Ayrshire Council, the Scottish FA and Ayr United Football Club which includes Soccer centres, out of school soccer classes, local boys clubs development programmes, girls youth development programmes, the Academy continues to encourage participation in the Scottish FA’s Coach Education Football Courses for any potential coaches.

Other programmes also include the Everybody Active Programme which is funded by the Robertson Trust, South Ayrshire Council, Ayrshire Sportability and the Clydesdale Bank. It is a three year programme, which comprises of 3 weekly classes operating at SouthCraig and Queen Margaret Schools in South Ayrshire and involves an average of 40 weekly participants. Other notable programmes include The Tesco Bank Programme where the Academy will use the power of football to get Primary 2 and Primary 3 children (6-8 years old) active, not only at school but by establishing long-lasting activity week in, week out and also The McDonald’s School Football Programme where AUFA have to date ensured that 10 Primary Schools received 20 hours of coaching and 20 hours of games each, with 332 Primary 6 and 7 age children benefiting from the project.

November saw the Academy nominated for an NHS Scottish Health Award at their ceremony in Edinburgh but unfortuately finished runner up, a runners-up prize of £400 was awarded to it for its coaching contributions in the Community Care section.

Other non football field related items that occured over the past few weeks that keep the admin staff busy included a visit from the South Ayrshire Football Reminiscing Group who had a great couple of hours getting a tour round Somerset Park finishing off with tea and cakes in the Ayr United boardroom. AUFA have also extended their partnership with FirstPointUSA, which offers Academy players an opportunity to pursue college scholarships in the United States. Also on the matter of college, young Demi McCulloch along with 14 others continue on their coaching path, studying a Sport & Recreation (Soccer) course in conjunction with AUFA and Reid Kerr College.

Its been a busy half season so far for all the 80+ staff at the Academy and we look forward to the second half of the season with renewed invigour, hoping to bring as much success then as they have done so far in the first half of the season.

Hi Carol-Anne,

Just checking in to see how the Soccerdomes are progressing.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention that we are now at the half way point of our season and as such, we now have reduced sponsorship opportunities for the remaining half of the current season.

Prices start from £40 for individual player sponsorship and rises according with the level of sponsorship available, shirt sponsorship being £500 (normally £1000) for the remainder of the season.

Obviously the level of press and promotional work we would administer alters with the varying level of sponsorship but would see this as an ideal time and opportunity for Soccerdomes and AUFA to cement a successful partnership together.

The AUFA have been very successful recently, receiving reviews on the SFA website, SFL website, all local newspapers, feature regularly on the Youth Football Scotland website who themselves feature in the Daily Record newspaper and we have also just affiliated ourselves with a soccer team in Texas, USA for extra public awareness and cross Atlantic publicity. We have regular coverage on all the social network and bookmarking sites and appear on online news outlets as far away as Brazil.

The 13s girls have just recently won their individual league and in August also won a SFA Cup Trophy which featured on the SFA website. The 17s side currently sit top of their league with 3 matches to play and remain unbeaten in league football this season. The 19s side sit 3rd in the most competitive football league outside senior football, also with 3 matches remaining. The 15s are also unbeaten this season so far and all the age groups have been invited to play against Rangers and Celtic Football Academies so far this season at their respective training academy complexes. Ayr United Football Club have also taken this success on board and have signed 7 academy players so far this season on professional contracts, all of which receive a level of publicity that you would expect from new player signings.
 
If you want to discuss this in further detail and to see how this may add value to your company, with no obligation, please contact me by email or by phone on 07969 231642.

Thanks again.

Marc Roseblade
Academy Journalist
Press Relations
Social Media
AUFA
07969 231642

Ayr in Scotland and Galveston in Texas. Not two towns on the planet that you would immediately twin together but that's what has happened in the football world.

Ayr United Football Academy and Galveston Pirate Soccer Club are keen to announce an affiliation between both clubs with the initial phase dealing solely with cross Atlantic relations and public awareness.

The set up came about after Marc Roseblade, the resident AUFA journalist and social media specialist, was put in touch with Brendan Keyes, owner and head coach of the Galveston Pirate side through an American 'friend' on Facebook during the World Cup in the summer.

This online meeting led to Marc receiving pre and post match phone calls from the Pirate coach, translating these calls into match reviews and reports about the Pirates exploits, helping to promote them in cities across Texas, much like he does for the AUFA, all with a 6 hour time difference between the two towns.

Tulsa, Houston and Galveston make some nice alternatives to Prestwick, Dumfries and Peterhead for the Ayr man.

The Pirates play in the newly formed Southern Premier Soccer League which is the 4th tier of soccer in the USA. All the teams that play in this league are semi professional (part time) with the Pirates playing at the Courville Stadium in Galveston.

Galveston Coach Brendan Keyes himself moved from his native Ireland to the USA in the 80's, playing professional soccer with Kansas before moving to Texas, opening a Soccer Academy for youth development, just like Ayr United Football Academy.

The rest is history, Brendan's Soccer Academy has been promoting, educating and coaching children since its inception but the Pirates are a fairly new venture and are keen to raise awareness not only in their immediate area but all over the world.


The Galveston area seems to be booming with academies at the moment with Brendan's not being alone. Club America Academy who are the biggest soccer side in Mexico have recently sent a team to play in the SPSL, Houston Dynamo of the MLS also have an academy side playing in the area and word on the street is that Barcelona are looking to open an academy in the area as well in the near future. Ayr United Football Academies name makes a nice addition to that list.

It's a great tie up between the two sides and hopefully football/soccer fans from both sides of the Atlantic will start supporting the others clubs, keeping tabs on how they are doing. The AUFA would certainly welcome any fans from the Texas area should they ever be in Ayrshire with the people of Galveston being equally as welcoming to the people and fans from Ayr in the future.

Like the AUFA, this move benefits the Galveston Pirate club, if only in awareness stakes, with the hope residents of the towns involved visit each other websites and facebook sites offering support when matches take place with the hope of a further tie up and eventually a cross Atlantic football tournament taking place at some time in the future.

Ayr United Football Academy have already benefited financially from such a cross Atlantic match up as a current resident from Texas, Randall Scott Taylor and his family, who have Scottish descendants, currently sponsor Ryan Nisbet from the AUFA 15's side.

You can keep track of the Galveston side at www.piratesc.com, Ayr United Football Academy can be found at www.aufa.org.uk

AUFA & Reid Kerr Help Females Break into Soccer Coaching

In a sport that is predominantly male orientated, Ayr United football Academy are trailblazing a path in encouraging females into the soccer fraternity.

Demi McCulloch from Barrhead spends three days a week studying Sporting Recreational Soccer flitting between Reid Kerr college and Somerset Park, the end goal of which will see her receiving an NQ with an additional option of a further 1 year to gain an HNC

In a class of 14, the course lasts 1 year with the majority of work being practical based coaching, tutored by Ayr United's Malky Boyle, with the ultimate goal of receiving their coaches certificates.

Malky spoke of Demi's development saying,"Demi has been great, she does exactly as instructed and is in no way overawed by coaching in a male dominated environment. She has been around football all her life and has played for the Celtic ladies team so knows exactly how to cope at the highest level. She will make an excellent coach wherever she ends up, when she completes her course."

Demi and her classmates are currently 16 weeks into their course and we will be keeping a close eye on her and her classmates progression into the football coaching world.

by Marc Roseblade

It's that time of year again, and time for the Ayr United Football Academy to thank all the sponsors that have parted with their hard earned cash to support the Academy.

From pubs to electricians, Americans to Grandfathers, we thank you all.

Every single sponsor that kindly parts with the green stuff is really appreciated by the players, coaches and staff at the Academy and manages to help the Academy reach the targeted £60'000 that it costs to pay for the approximate 75 youth development players.

All the cash received from these sponsors goes directly to the paying of coaching facilities, strips, coaching materials, travelling costs and transport vehicles for the players. All the staff are volunteers and with Ayr United Football Academy being a self sustaining charity, all this money is ring fenced solely for the development of these players and nothing else, making the sponsors money work directly for the players.

We thank you all!

AYR CENTRAL CONTINUE THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE ACADEMY
 
Ayr’s Premier Shopping Centre, AYR CENTRAL, extended its’ support of the Ayr United Football Academy this season and under the deal, Ayr Central Shopping Centre agreed to back the Academy’s Under 19 side having their logo emblazoned on the teams home and away shirts for the 2010/11 season.

Academy Commercial Manager Ken Paul who announced the deal, said, “I am delighted that Ayr Central Shopping Centre agreed to extend their support for the Academy for this further year. With their support this season, our under 19’s have proved to be a successful unit with 7 of the squad that started the season signing professional terms with Ayr United while many others have also featured in the Clubs’ reserve side this season .

The name of Ayr Central Shopping Centre was linked with that success and we hope that level of success can be replicated as we continue to develop a successful partnership with the county’s Premier Shopping Centre in the years ahead.”

Ayr Central’s Centre Manager David Gallagher added “We are delighted to support such a successful local organisation as the Ayr United Football Academy.

As a local charity, their coaches and volunteers work extremely hard to give youngsters the chance to play professional football, with a fair degree of success and Ayr Central Shopping Centre is proud to have our name associated with such a successful venture.”

This looks like a being a successful partnership between the two parties involved and with Christmas fast approaching, now is the time to show your support for one of Ayr United Football Academies major sponsors.

 

Help Ayr United Football Academy raise money this christmas, just by shopping online. 

It's very easy - use easyfundraising to shop with over 2000 well known retailers like Amazon, Argos, M&S, eBay, John Lewis and many more and whenever you buy something, the retailer donates money to us. Yes - it really is that simple.

It's completely free and your shopping won't cost you a penny more.

You can also use the Easysearch search engine on this site to do your online searches which the Academy will also receive money from, just for searching as you do with Google, Yahoo and Bing.

What you waiting for?

Ayr Sign 2 Rising Stars

Ayr United showed their greatest intent of future proofing their team by signing two of the rising stars from the Acadamy ranks.

Midfielders Robbie Crawford and Sean Kelly have both been signed on (?) year contracts with the AUFC senior squad and hope to pushing the senior players for squad spots very shortly.

Robbie, 17 and Sean, 16 were humbled by the attention being plied on them at the signing ceremony attended by Manager Brian Reid, Head of Youth Davie White and Head of Ayr United Operations(?) Tracy McTrusty.

Brian Reid said of the players, "This is the future of Ayr United, this is the way our club must go and these guys fit the bill perfectly. They are a brilliant addition to our squad and they will be pushing others in the team for places."

Head of Youth, Davie White was ecstatic with the signings, saying "This is a great move by Ayr United and for the players involved. They have worked hard and have just received what they always dreamed of, being a professional footballer. These two guys signing for Ayr shows what huge strides the Academy has made and makes everything we do here worthwhile. Congratulations to both players!"

Somerset Park welcomed the Alzheimer's Group on Wednesday for a tour of the famous old stadium.

14 of the hardy souls turned out in the freezing temperatures for a guided tour round the boardroom, changing rooms and pitch side led by Ayr dignitary Hugh Hunter who gave the guests a Somerset Park history lesson like a true professional.

Former Ayr United stalwart Peter Price was one of the group and once again graced the hallways of the old Somerset building and was quick to point out that a tile was still missing in the same place as it was it his playing days.

Also in appearance was a Celtic player from season 1946-47, Tommy MacDonald who scored 7 times in 13 matches.

The man who organised the event, George Jaconelli said, "This was a great day out for these guys. They meet every Wednesday at the Parkstone Hotel between 11 and 1 so to be able to walk round the normally unseen parts of Somerset Park was something special for all involved. They were all like little boys again with some of the guys wanting to get on the park but unfortunately the pitch is being protected from the frost so they couldn't get on the pitch for a kickabout."

The Alzheimer's group Ayrshire is a noble cause and Ayr United and Ayr United Football Academy were over the moon to be able to have helped out and give these guys something back for all they have given us over the years.

23rd November 2010 

Re: Sponsorship opportunities at Ayr United Football Academy
 
Dear Mr Stevenson,

As one of the sponsorship coordinators of AUFA I wondered if your company would be interested in financially helping some of our young players in the development stage of their careers. 

The Football Academy is continuing to develop as it runs through its fourth full year of competition and marches on into the future. The Academy format is the envy of many clubs as its model is unique in Scottish football by raising its own funding and is therefore not financially dependent on the senior Ayr United Football Club. This has allowed its Directors to build a long term strategy around youth development aided by a strong volunteer led coaching and backroom staff. With this strategy in place, the Academy players are starting to reap the benefits of this structure with all our programmes and teams adhering to and being endorsed by strict SFA and SYFA guidelines.

As the Academy is a charity and a self-financing organisation, in order to sustain the high standards that we aim to achieve, it is vital that we generate as much revenue as possible to support the Talented Young Players Programme. The opportunity now exists for businesses, fans and parents alike to support the development of our most promising young players who will become the Ayr United stars of tomorrow.

Examples of the growing stock of the Academy have never been more visible than last week's Scottish Cup tie between Ayr United and Sunnybank where 5 current and ex Academy players were in the squad of 16 picked by Ayr United manager Brian Reid. Other success examples include ex Academy players now playing at Stranraer, Annan and Rangers under 19's. Also, two of the current 19's squad have recently signed playing contracts with the Ayr United senior squad, joining a handful of others who have already signed.

The Ayr United Football Academy offers a wide range of sponsorship opportunities to support the Talented Young Players Programme, including:

• Principal Youth Development Partner – £5000

• Youth Team Shirt Sponsor – £1000 per team (logo on front of top, photo presentation if requested, profile in local press and on website, free top to display in premises, link to sponsor’s website, profile in Ayr Utd FC Programme).

• Youth Travel Suit Sponsor – £750 per team (logo on travel suit, mention on website, link to sponsor’s website)

• Youth ‘Back of Shirt’ Sponsor – £350 per team (logo on back of top, profile on website and in local press)

• Youth ‘Shorts’ Sponsor – £200 per team (logo on shorts, profile on website)

• Youth Player Sponsor – £75 (logo on website/link to sponsor’s website)

• Youth Match Sponsor – £75 (profile on website)

• Youth Match Ball Sponsor – £45 (profile on website)

• Local tournament sponsorship under the AUFA banner (POA)

All funding received goes towards the coaching, development and education of the players involved within the Academy including 9, 11 and 13 age groups for girls; 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19s age groups for boys.

We also have tie ups with South Ayrshire Council, Reid Kerr College and the NHS which enables us to offer further education and work placements for players should their dream of playing professional football not come to fruition. Therefore, this gives them the opportunity to gain NC, HNC, NQ, HNQ and SVQ certificates at all levels in their desired field of employment whilst still being developed through their football apprenticeship.

At the youth initiative stages of the teams, the players receive sports science classes, goalkeeping sessions and access to physiotherapists and Doctors. We also run primary school programmes, local boys club development programmes, soccer schools, holiday programmes and many many more community programmes all endorsed by the SFA.

I am writing to you because your company in local to us and we are keen to acknowledge and help develop a partnership with businesses in the Ayr/Ayrshire area and as such, a partnership could benefit both parties. 



What this means for you; As well as the knowledge that you are helping develop and educate the youth footballers involved, you personally will could receive recognition on our website, social media sites, online news outlets, Ayr United Match day programme as well as press coverage obviously depending on the level of sponsorship taken. This is an excellent opportunity for your company to get its name out and about to the masses.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If you interested in any of the opportunities listed above, please email back or call me on 07969 231642 to arrange a convenient time to discuss the details of a proposed partnership or if you have any queries.

Yours sincerely,

Marc Roseblade
Sponsorship Co-ordinator 
AUFA

15's Down to Bare Bones

A depleted Ayr squad travelled to Almondvale for a late kick-off with the 15's only having 10 fully fit players due to injuries and late call offs and an injured Ryan Nisbett made up the 11 although playing with a groin injury.

Despite this they put up a great show and their never say die attitude shone through to the end. Livingstone are a decent team at this level and were further bolstered with the addition of two over age players.

 

The first period was an even affair, both teams where trying to knock the ball about which meant an exciting open game to watch.

 

Nisbett was the first to threaten but was thwarted by the keeper with the midfield four of Anderson, Wardrope, Forrest and Willock all putting in a great shift and never allowed Livingston time to to settle on the ball. 

 

Ayr took the lead after 20 minutes when a Wardrope corner caused panic in the Livingston defence, the ball ricocheting around before bouncing into the net off a Livi defender.

 

The second period again flowed from end to end with both teams creating chances. Firstly Wardrope headed over from close range, Fillipi hit the side netting from an acute angle while Forrest came close with a free kick. 

 

Livi got themselves back into it with a drive from the edge of the box with flew into the bottom corner but Ayr struck back almost immediately when Nisbett scored at the second attempt after the keeper saved his first effort. 

 

Livingston were allowed back into it with the last kick of the period when the referee awarded them as soft a penalty as you'll see. He gave it for a push in the box which most failed to see.

 

The third period again saw both teams create chances. 

 

Filippi was inches away from connecting in front of the goals, Anderson had an effort saved at the near post while Nisbett stung the keepers hands with a drive from 20 yards. 

 

Ayr's keeper James Hart also had to be on his toes to keep out a few Livi attempts that came close and was eventually beaten when a 25 yard free-kick flew in over his hands into the top of the net. 

 

Ayr refused to lie down and Nisbett came within inches when the keeper parried a shot that somehow squirmed over. Ayr had a great chance in the final minute when Anderson broke free from the defence but somehow dragged his shot just wide of the post.

 

Coach Neil Duffy, exhausted at the end, spoke highly of his players, "This was a tremendous effort from the boys, they where dead on their feet at the end and gave everything to the cause. The late call offs where disappointing and left Ayr with bare bones. However it was a cracking game with chances at both ends, everyone of the boys can feel proud of their days work and can take a lot of positives from a very spirited display."

14s Roar at Livvy Lions

A brilliant encounter ensued at Prestwick Academy between two teams keen to play attacking, passing football whilst remaining strong defensively.

The Ayr United Football Academy players started strongly with a move that started with defender Reece Lapham moving the ball from inside his own half through to Roy Barr who ran into the middle of his opponents half playing in fellow striker, Sean McKenzie, meeting the ball on the penalty spot but was adjudged to be offside by the ref.

Livvy were a strong outfit and more than matched the Ayr side in the opening 30 minutes and had plenty of chances themselves to open the scoring;Their first opportunity came within five minutes as their strong number 11 managed to work his way down the right, past both Ayr's midfield and defence before lobbing the ball over the Ayr keeper but was beaten only by the crossbar.

Ayr striker Roy Barr then took it upon himself to run his way around seven players Messi style with the ball seemingly attached by velcro to his boot, unfortunately the keeper was the only Livingston player he couldn't get past.

Blane Swift and Aiden Connor were playing brilliantly down the flanks, pinging passes crossfield with stunning accuracy while Declan Adam was controlling the midfield for the Ayr side but both sides went into the end of the first break goalless.

Livvy started the second period the stronger and it didn't take long for the deadlock to be broken with a good piece of play from the visitors down the right that ended with a lucky break of the ball right at the attackers feet who scored from 15 yards out.

Livingston's number 11 was causing havoc in the Ayr defence every time he broke forward, he was big, strong, fast and very confident when on the ball, clearly Livvy's man of the match.

Barr and McKenzie were trying their best for the home side, constantly prodding and probing the Livingston defence looking for an opening and that chink in the armour was found midway through the 2nd period when a long clear out by Ayr's keeper was cleverly controlled by Adam who played an inch perfect pass into the box for McKenzie to bullet his effort past the keeper and score his first of the day.

Ayr had a few more chances to score again, the first of which was through Aiden Connor, whose free kick curled beautifully over the defensive wall only for the keeper to tip it round the post. McKenzie stole the ball on 30 yards, dribbled past two defenders before letting loose a thunderbolt but the goalie was well placed to save. Ryan Wilson also tried his luck with some excellent play down the right, ducking and diving, bobbing and weaving his way past numerous players but again, the keeper done his job, keeping the ball from hitting the back of the net.

Against this backdrop of pressure, Livingston stung back with a tremendous counter attack, ending with a magnificent strike that lobbed over the Ayr keepers head and despite getting a strong hand to it, couldn't keep it from landing in the back of the net.

Lewis McMurdo who had came on for the second 45 in place of fellow goalkeeping teammate Sean Robinson, made an absolutely outstanding save from a 25 yard thunderbolt, connecting with enough glove to deflect the ball onto the bar before getting back on his feet to catch the rebound that drew applause from everyone in the Prestwick Academy arena.

The teams entered into the third period with praise from the coaches ringing in their ears, asking for more of the same and it didn't take long for the back of the net to bulge again, this time for the home side.

In a lovely piece of wing play from Wilson, he managed to play the ball into McKenzie who took the ball masterfully round the keeper to pass the ball into the net to equalize the result.

Only a few minutes later Adam tried his hand at getting on the scoresheet but his shot was deflected to Ayr's trialist who done himself no harm by hitting the back of the net for another Ayr goal.

This match was really turning into a cracking contest as it moved into the last 15 with Ayr's Sean McKenzie adding his third for the day after earning a free kick just outside the box which he converted direct with a simply stunning effort that was impossible to stop by the visiting goalie.

Ayr were pressing hard creating many more chances before the end.

McKenzie turned supplier to Wilson a couple of times with the opportunities missing the target on both occasions but the striker showed his team mate how to finish when he added another with a 100mph strike that was simply unstoppable into the top right hand corner of the goal.

Right at the death, captain Reece Lapham was to get himself on the score sheet for the home team when an excellently executed corner from Jordan Bruce was met on the penalty spot by the captain to fire in the eighth goal of the match.

Ayr Coach Gary Gibb said afterwards, "We had a great response from the players after a strangely muted first 45 minutes. The guys weren't at their best at that point but more than made up for it in the second 45. We know have two games left before the winter break, both away from home."

Fellow coach Stuart Brady was full of praise for both sets of player saying,"Livingston have a real good team, especially their number 11 who was a constant thorn in our side every time he received the ball. But our players showed belief in themselves, belief in the quality they have to be able to pick themselves up from a bad start and finish in top gear."

by Marc Roseblade

Five Examples of Professionalism

Ayr United's Scottish Cup tie against Sunnybank may be remembered for the 5-0 thrashing handed out by the Ayrshire side over the Aberdeenshire juniors, but it was a pivotal day for the Ayr United Football Academy.

5 current and ex Academy players were in the squad of 16 picked by manager Brian Reid for this potential banana skin match, showing the trust he has in the Academy set up for developing aspiring young players.

While regular starter Jonathan Tiffoney was on from the beginning, Ross Robertson & Alistair Woodburn started from the bench. They were joined by the two current Academy players in the form of 16 year old midfielder Shaun Kelly, who has just signed a playing contract with the Ayr United senior squad and also striker from the 19s team, Dale Moore.

All except Dale Moore managed some pitch time in this match;Robertson & Woodburn entering the fray on 82 minutes with young star of the future Shaun Kelly getting the last five minutes. Moore, unfortunately suffered due to the 3 man substitution rule.

This shows the depth and strength that the Football Academy has as it marches on into the future.

The AUFA is the envy of many clubs as it's model is a one off in Scotland.


Having no financial restrictions placed on it by the senior AUFC has progressed the Academy no bounds and with the coaching and backroom staff at it's disposal, we will see more and more Academy players making the breakthrough in the coming weeks and months.

The future looks bright for all involved with Ayr United and who knows, maybe one day we will see a team full of ex Academy players; At this rate, it may be closer than we think.

written by Marc Roseblade

Hurricane Hernandez Hits Home Hat Trick

There's never a dull moment when Galveston Pirate captain and star striker Roy Hernandez is around; Sunday was no exception!

After the disappointment of a late cancellation on Saturday with the Club America Academy match due to adverse weather, the players were made to wait that extra 24 hours to play competitive football again after such a long lay off.

The home match on Sunday had been the most anticipated in Galveston for years and as the Pirate players took to the field at Courville Stadium, it must have been a very proud moment for the players, their families but especially Coach Brendan Keyes without whom, all this wouldn't have been possible.

The match got underway but it took around 20 minutes for the game to burst into life with Roy Hernandez opening the scoring with a stunning trademark volley that couldn't be saved by the Corpus Christi keeper despite his valiant efforts to keep it out of the net.

Hands still stinging from the Roy 'Starnandez' strike, the CC keeper was picking the ball from the back of the net again a few minutes later when another Hernandez strike hit the back of the net, only this time it was Luis Hernandez that made the net bulge to give his side a 2-0 lead after a nice lay off from Roy.

Roy's goal assistance didn't end there as he then set up Jonathan Yanez to round of the first half scoring a few minutes before the end of the 45 minutes.

The Pirate players started the second much the same at the first ended, with complete domination!

This was never going to be as close an affair as the first game of the season with Roy soon adding another only a couple of minutes into the second which finished the game as a competition and gave coach Keyes reason to smile.

Roy added his third and the Pirate's fifth of the match with a nice bulleted header after an inch perfect Alcantar cross to round of the scoring for the home side.

As he and his team relaxed in the after match meal, Pirate coach Brendan Keyes said afterwards,"It was great to get back in action after such a long time since our last league match. From front to back today, we were outstanding and we now look forward to the rearranged Club America fixture on Wednesday night."

After another three goals from star man, Roy Hernandez, it's hard for his name not to be brought up in a conversation with Coach Keyes no exception to his quality, stating, "Roy was an injury worry prior to the game but he insisted on playing saying he was fit and after 3 goals and 2 assists, who can argue with that return? He's a truly outstanding player, he has scored 29 goals this year and is an inspiration to the other players."

Keyes was also quick to point out the merits of the other players saying,"Yes, Roy scores plenty of goals but this is a team game. Today, they were all winners and all deserve the plaudits, everyone played their part in what could have been a tricky tie."

Leaving on a jovial note, Brendan quipped, "As for Roy's Tevez style celebration, dear oh dear!"

Roy himself spoke about the celebration saying, "Well what can I say? He is my favorite player and I always try to perform as he does on the field. From the hustling, to the goal scoring, and cant forget the celebration, lol."

 A perfect end to a perfect game I suppose, a nice bit of bum shuffling dance moves!

Unstoppable 17's

The AUFA 17's extended their unbeaten run to twelve games with a hard working performance at home against East Stirling which was soured slighly as Andrew Muir broke his collarbone. 

Ayr started well and on two minutes a great ball from Dale McCormack from the left to Tyler Campbell was unlucky not to result in the opening goal, although Ayr only had to wait until the ninth minute when Dean Marshall was fouled in the box, with the resultant penalty coolly slotted home by on form Deci Milligan.

Ayr continued to press and had further chances with a Steven Hutchison free kick being cleared from the line and on 30 minutes Scott Aitken saw his effort come back off the post after a good run through the middle.

In the 34th minute Andrew Muir made a great run cutting inside only to be fouled and sustaining a broken collar bone which resulted in him being replaced by Lee Lockhart. 

In 39 minutes East Stirling scored from a long range effort to equalise in a rare foray into Ayr's half of the field.

Ayr continued to have the large part of the possession and Lockhart was unlucky with a free kick in 64 minutes when it spun wide of the goal but then on 73 minutes, substitute Adam Forsyth done well to get into the box, only to be fouled but with the resultant penalty, Milligan found the East Stirling keeper more than a match for his shot and was well held to keep the score at 1-1.

United never let their heads go down and continued to work hard with their good work being rewarded in the 87th minute. Campbell and Lockhart combined with the latter crossing low to the back post and Ross Wylie came in late to score the winning goal to make it 2-1 to the home side.

Coach, Mark Pringle reflected "The boys worked hard and showed great character, although by their own standards they can undoubtedly play much better football, we felt we thoroughly deserved the victory"

Ayr 15's and Dumbarton fought out an eight goal thriller of a game at Prestwick where the crowd were entertained to some sparkling football as well as some true blooded Scottish tackling as both teams gave everything they had for the full 90 minutes.

 

Dumbarton started the game brighter and it took Ayr a full ten minutes before they got to grips with the game with Ayr finishing the period stronger as they started to get their passing game together. The Ayr boys were rewarded with two fine goals from the impressive Jason Filippi after he used his pace with great effect to race clear of the Dumbarton defence to take his goals calmly and confidently.

 

The second period started evenly but Ayr where rocked when a free-kick from 30 yards out somehow found its way into the Ayr net. The goal seemed to spark Dumbarton into life and they finished the period on a high with two further goals; the first a penalty and the second from a mis-cued Ayr clearance. 

 

Ayr however, reacted well to being behind as they rolled their sleeves up and took the fight to Dumbarton. Ross Campbell, Nisbett and McCarrison all came close to an equaliser as the period ended.

 

The final period saw a determined Ayr fight for every ball as their great team spirit of this started to shine through. Jason Filippi latched on to a Nisbett through ball and dinked the ball into the corner to complete a fine hat-trick and level the scores again. 

 

Ayr where looking the more dangerous and were pushing for the winner with some great football. However Dumbarton were giving everything to the cause as well and they retook the lead with an excellent finish from their number nine. 

 

Once again Ayr refused to lie down and they equalised with five minutes to go with a cracker of a drive from Aedan Keegan which left the keeper with no chance. Ryan Nisbett had one final chance to sneak a win but saw his effort well saved by the keeper.

 

Exhausted coach Neil Duffy said afterwards, "This was a great example for Scottish youth football. Both teams played some great football and gave everything to the cause. The result was about right as there was not much between the teams at all. Ayr 15's showed great spirit and fortitude to come through their toughest test so far and to keep their unbeaten run alive."

Use the Force Brendan!

It's like a scene from Star Wars, Pirate coach Brendan Keyes being the master, Thiago Costa Reis, the apprentice. Not quite sure who yoda is yet!

Brendan Keyes coached and developed a young Thiago from the age of 10 years old for seven years and for a further seven, employed him as a coach at his own soccer academy, Brendan Keyes soccer academy. Thiago has taken the knowledge handed down to him and now hopes to turn it on his old mentor as he tries to guide his Club America Academy side to victory on Saturday in their first ever SPSL match.

Coach Keyes was keen to play down the relationship between the two, instead trying to focus on getting his side prepared for the Pirate double header over the weekend with special focus on his sides first ever competitive match in the city of Galveston at Courville Stadium on Sunday.

But there was a twinkle in the eye of the well liked Irishman.

He couldn't hide the fact that he wanted to get one over on his ex apprentice and also three ex Pirates in the form of Justin Santibanez, Juan Carreon and Jorge Orturo who all now ply their trade with the Club America side. Come Saturday evening, should the Pirates have won the match, I am sure that Mr Keyes will be gracious in victory over his ex young padowan but he will be beaming with delight at the same time.

Brendan said "Club America are one of the largest clubs in Mexico and pull in 105'000 fans on a regular basis so it's a big big club. Their Academy side have only just joined our league but that won't give me any false illusions about them, this match will be tough."

Carrying on, "It's been around a month since out last league game and in that time we have played a couple of friendlies. Club America on the other hand haven't played yet in this league so they are a bit of an unknown quality but I know their manager and three of their players so have a slight tactical advantage over them with the knowledge of how these guys think and play, I taught them after all."

Never one to mince his words, Brendan pointed out the greatest difference between Club America and others in the league, " Club America are huge, their resources are enormous and because of this, they have a great set up. Their players have been training almost every day in preparation for this match on Saturday and they will be fired up for it. As for me, well, there's no substitute for experience and my experience will tell over that young whippersnapper Thiago!" he said with a wry smile.

Sunday sees the visit of Corpus Christi who have yet to win a match in five attempts so far in the SPSL but have a much improved side and as each game passes, they get better.

Brendan and his players are pumped for this match, it's their first at home after all and will be hoping for a large crowd to turn out at Courville stadium to cheer them on to victory.

Galveston's main worry is the absent Roy Hernandez, who is injured and although one player doesn't make a team, this one player does score the majority of the Pirate SC goals.

It could maybe be the opportunity for others to step up to the plate to show what they can do, they have a good teacher after all, and a team mate that scores barrow loads of goals. If they've been watching Roy, they'll know the route to goal!

All in all, a big weekend coming up for the Galveston soccer side which by 4.45pm Sunday could see them back on top of the league.

Go Go Pirates!

Fed up with frozen football pitches?

The winter is almost here but don't despair, the future of playing football outdoors is coming to Ayr!

Soccerdomes are on their way to the Old Racecourse this month and intend on staying the duration of this cold wet period of year that makes it hard to motivate your players to get out the house during a wind and rainstorm in not so sunny Ayrshire.

Soccerdomes will change your way of thinking as their inflatable domes protect you from the elements. They are essentially indoor arenas except you are outdoors, playing on grass which gives you get the best of both worlds.

The playing areas will cover 30 metres x 15 metres with full internal high quality pitch lighting provided which gives ample space for 5 a side games, training sessions for your club, coaching courses or just a kick about with your pals, all with the added benefits of still being able to play on grass.

Ayr United Football Academy are keen to support this new venture and will themselves be utilising the domes as the cold wet nights are suddenly upon us. These structures will give the coaches, players and watching parents shelter from the biting weather whilst still being able to play outdoors and not in a stuffy indoor arena.

AUFA Head of Youth, Davie White, is keen to use these outdoor arenas for community coaching courses and festivals of football. Talking about the old Dam Park halls "Years ago, we had Johnny Hubbard's Festival of Football down at Dam Park during the Christmas/New Year period, we could modernise this style of competition to incorporate these domes giving the youth of today an opportunity to compete in what was an institution 20 years ago."
Jokingly he said " Maybe we'll try and get Johnny to throw his hat in the ring again and start it up again."

All joking aside, Davie can see the merits in these domes, calling on all boys clubs, amateur sides, pub teams and 5 a side teams to try these arenas out as a viable alternative to games halls.

With most boys clubs having a break in their season during the winter months, these domes will give the coaches and players somewhere fresh to go and maintain their fitness or compete in a winter 5 a side league.

Block bookings are welcome and encouraged at this point to avoid disappointment with the organisers keen to open up trial slots for your club to try them out, kind of try before you buy style opportunity.

The domes will be available from 3.30pm to 9.30pm Monday - Friday, 9.00am to 9.30pm Saturday and Sunday and will be located near the Old Racecourse changing facility building on Doonfoot Road.

Prices start from £30 per hour so are very reasonably priced so get in touch on 0800 567 7820 or www.soccerdomes.co.uk for more details.

Ayr 15s travelled to Leven for their game against East Fife in a good spirited match without a bad tackle to be seen.

 

Ayr opened brightly with the front three of Filippi, Anderson and McCarrison always a danger in front of goal but it was Steven McCarrison who opened the scoring with his first of three for the day. Jason Filippi added the second soon after with an excellent finish, using his pace to break free from the defence.

 

The second period saw more of the same pressure from Ayr with a Fillipi header being cleared from the line, Mick Wardrope having a penalty saved while Sean Vance blazed over from 15 yards. However,  Allan Forrest cracked a 25 yard free-kick into the top corner to add another to Ayr's tally.

 

The third period opened well with McCarrison cleverly dinking the ball over the keeper for his second and he soon completed his hat trick after a great Ayr move which was started from the back and ended with a great cross from Anderson before being headed home.

 

Coach Neil Duffy said afterwards "This was a good work out for the boys on a heavy pitch. They could have scored more but the pleasing aspect was that they continued to pass the ball about all the way to the end rather than trying to get their name on the scoresheet with selfish play. The back four of Howie, Vance, Campbell and Ewart / Brown defended well and helped James Hart to a welcome clean sheet. Willock, Wardrope and Forrest dominated the midfield while the front three worked their socks off from start to finish. Overall a good team performance on a heavy grass pitch."

Ayr's 14's side started the game well with some crisp passing and work rate on and off the ball and this good play was rewarded after only eight minutes with an unfortunate hand ball in the box by the East Fife defender which Roy 'of the Rovers' Barr made no mistake with, firing in the opener. The youngster soon added his second after some neat play with Declan Adam and he managed his hat trick on the 18 minute mark after meeting a splendid Aiden Connor corner, crashing his header into the net to complete a “Roy of the Rovers” 18 minute hat trick.

Ayr started the second period in the same manner and Sean McKenzie, who replaced the hard working Ryan Wilson added his first of the game after receiving an inch perfect from Roy Barr to slot home.

Barr also created McKenzie's second goal with some great movement  on the right before squaring the ball across the box for his new strike partner to finish off a good move.

It was an even game with plenty of good passing on show but it took until the final 15 minute before the ball struck the back of the net again when an Aiden Conner shot deflected off the head of an unlucky East Fife defender past the keeper but there was no mistaking the quality of the next goal when Aiden Conner collected the ball in his own half on the left, side stepping three players  before playing a fantastic pass to Sean McKenzie, who took one touch and finished low into the bottom corner with the goalkeeper having no chance.
 

This young Ayr side are strong, with Reece Lapham, Lee Willamson and Donnie Campbell all looking focused and comfortable in defence. The midfield players Declan Adam and Lewis Nielson close down and break up the play of opponents and at times are a delight to watch. Up front, man of the match Roy “of the Rovers” Barr is outstanding and his hard work after a 4 to 5 week lay off is now starting to bear fruit. Ryan Wilson and Sean McKenzie also complement the front line, with the latter working very hard to ensure that no-one has time when he’s about. Oh and he scores goals too…

 
Head Coach Gary Gibson commented after the 90 minutes "We're very pleased that areas of development, which the team have been working on for the last 6 or 7 training session, are now becoming part of the teams play on a very regular basis. The areas of decision making, taking responsibility and patience on the ball is also improving every week."

19s brush aside Annan

Justin Tait

Ayr United moved in to the next round of the Scottish Youth Cup on Sunday after a 4-2 win against Annan Athletic. Following the previous week’s 7-0 hammering of East Fife and after defeating rivals Stranraer in the previous round, the AUFA under 19s side turned up to Somerset Park in confident mood.

This confidence was evident in the opening exchanges of the match as Ayr were quick out of the blocks and adopted a slick passing style. Stuart Milligan was the first to try his luck as he cut inside from the right but dragged his shot wide.
Roddy Paterson then skipped past the full-back and fired a tempting ball across the face of goal but it was defended well by the Annan centre-half. The resulting corner produced the first goal of the afternoon with J.J Hawkshaw’s fine header hitting the back of the net from Milligan’s corner to put the home side 1-0 up.

Ayr never let their opponents settle and immediately set about increasing their lead. The second goal duly arrived from the penalty spot. An excellent through ball was controlled by Dale Moore, who then spun the defender before being brought down. Moore stepped up and fired the penalty into the back of the net to give Ayr a well deserved 2-0 lead.

The game then became a scrappy encounter as the visitors upset Ayr’s rhythm with a more aggressive approach. Darren Baird cut inside the full back and unleashed a 20 yard strike which came back off the post much to the relief of the Annan goalkeeper. The visitor’s first attempt at goal came in the 33rd minute when a John Watson shot brought out a routine stop from Matthews in the Ayr goal.

A fine flowing move involving both full back’s and Shaun Kelly saw the ball fall at the feet of Roddy Paterson but his shot was well saved by the Annan number 1.

The second half began the same as the first ended with possession being squandered by both sides. Efforts from Paterson and Baird followed but to no avail as both were picked out by fantastic passes from Robbie Crawford.

The visitors began to probe, a succession of shots were blocked by Ayr’s defensive unit as Annan looked to get back into the game. A run down the right flank by Gareth Armstrong resulted in a great ball being fired across the face of goal but there were no takers.

A mix up in the Ayr defence led to Liam Johnston crashing a shot off the post and this was a reminder of the threat that the away side carried. Against the run of play, Armstrong played in Baird and his shot at goal deflected off the Annan centre half and trickled into the bottom corner to give the home side a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Ayr took their foot off the gas and this allowed the visitors to force their way back into the game. A miss-hit cross from Annan’s left back caught Matthews by surprise and found the bottom corner to give Annan hope with 15 minutes remaining. The goal gave Annan a boost and Callum West should have made it 3-2 but headed wide despite being unmarked from just 8 yards out.

With the away side now piling on the pressure, it meant the pace of Ayr’s attackers could be problematic for the Annan backline. Shaun Kelly dispossessed Annan’s Dan Alexander but his speculative shot deflected wide.

A deadly cross from Annan’s left back found the head of striker Liam Johnston and he finished from 6 yards out to set up a frantic finish.

The away side went all out for the equaliser but were caught out at the back in the remaining minutes, Baird’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper but George Thompson showed a predator instinct by following up the rebound and netted to put the game beyond doubt and Ayr into the final 16 of the tournament.

Ayr 15s travelled to Leven for their game against East Fife with Ayr's class shining through in the end but to East Fife's credit, they never gave up. Both sides continuing to pass the ball about whenever they could and fighting right until the end in a good spirited match without a bad tackle to be seen.

Ayr opened brightly with the front three of Filippi, Anderson and McCarrison always a danger. The opener came after 15 minutes when an excellent cross from Wardrope found Liam Anderson at the back post who knocked it back in for Steven McCarrison who finished well. Jason Filippi added the second soon after with an excellent finish, using his pace to break free from the defence.

There where further chances for Ayr who were camped in the East Fife half for most of the first period with Liam Anderson, Allan Forest and Mick Wardrope all having efforts saved well by the keeper.

The second period saw more of the same. A Fillipi header was cleared off the line, Mick Wardrope had a penalty saved while Sean Vance blazed over from 15 yards with the pressure eventually telling with a cracking 25 yard free-kick from Allan Forrest which flew into the top corner.

The third period opened well for Ayr when McCarrison ran through on the keeper and finished well with a clever dink over the keeper. Michael Wardrope then missed from 3 yards when it seemed easier to score. McCarrison completed his hat trick after a great Ayr move which was started from the back and ended with a great cross from Anderson ending with a fine header from McCarrison.

Coach Neil Duffy said afterwards "This was a good work out for the boys on a heavy pitch. They could have scored more but the pleasing aspect was that they continued to pass the ball about all the way to the end rather than trying to get their name on the scoresheet with selfish play. The back four of Howie, Vance, Campbell and Ewart / Brown defended well and helped James Hart to a welcome clean sheet. Willock, Wardrope and Forrest dominated the midfield while the front three worked their socks off from start to finish. Overall a good team performance on a heavy grass pitch."

Roy “of the Rovers” Barr too hot to handle at home to East Fife.

The Ayr United players were looking to work on the areas identified for development and also put into practice the coaching points delivered during the previous weeks training sessions.

Ayr started the game well with some crisp passing and work rate on and off the ball. This was rewarded after only eight minutes when some good build up play between Declan Adam and Roy Barr ended with an unfortunate hand ball in the box by the East Fife defender. The referee pointed to the spot and Roy Barr made no mistake with a very well taken penalty.

Seven minutes later it was Barr again who controlled a very good pass from Ryan Wilson to score his second of the game. Ayr’s head Coach Gary Gibson had asked the players to work on their corner kicks with front post positioning a point discussed. It paid off in 18 minutes when a well delivered corner from Aiden Connor to the front post allowed Barr to send a crashing header into the net to complete a “Roy of the Rovers” 18 minute hat trick.

Ayr’s work rate and passing continued during the second period and Sean McKenzie, who replaced the hard working Ryan Wilson added his first of the game. The trialist collected the ball on the right and moved forward beating two players before playing a great pass to on fire Barr who’s first time delivery was inch perfect for Sean McKenzie to slot home.

The second goal of the game for Sean McKenzie was again created by great movement by Roy Barr who took on two players on the right before squaring the ball across the box for his new strike partner to finish off a good move.

East Fife came back into the game by closing down the Ayr players and not allowing them any time on the ball. Decision making and good passing was identified to the Ayr team at the start of the game by the coaches and again the level of both dropped during this period of play, however to the credit of every single player they did realise this and during the next period worked very hard on improving both areas.

That period saw the two teams trying to establish a foot hold on the game with the players from both teams working hard on and off the ball and playing some good football to the delight of the watching crowd despite the bone chilling wind sweeping across Prestwick Academy.

The 4th period saw an Aiden Conner shot deflected into the away teams net off the head of the unlucky East Fife defender but there was no mistaking the quality of the next goal when Aiden Conner collected the ball in his own half on the left.

He side stepped two players and continued his run into the East Fife half before beating another player and playing a fantastic pass to Sean McKenzie, who took one touch and finished low into the bottom corner with the goalkeeper having no chance.

Credit where credits due and defensively, today Ayr were strong, with Reece Lapham and Lee Willamson ensuring no way through for East Fife. Donnie Campbell played at left back, looking focused, comfortable and his distribution of the ball was superb.

Midfield again at periods of the game lost its shape and the work rate does need to be higher among the 4 players in that area. Positives for this area is the closing down and breaking up of the play from Declan Adam and Lewis Nielson but at times is a delight to watch.

Upfront, man of the Match Roy “of the Rovers” Barr was outstanding and his hard work after a 4 to 5 week lay off now starting to bear fruit. Ryan Wilson and Sean McKenzie also had good games, with the latter working very hard to ensure that no-one has time when he’s about. Oh and he scores goals too…
 
Head Coach Gary Gibson commented after the 90 minutes "We're very pleased that areas of development, which the team have been working on for the last 6 or 7 training session, are now becoming part of the teams play on a very regular basis. The areas of decision making, taking responsibility and patience on the ball is also improving every week."

Squad today;
Lewis McMurdo, Sean Robinson, Craig Bova, Reece Lapham, Lee Williamson, Blaine Swift, Aiden Conner, Declan Adam, Jordan Bruce, Roy Barr, Ryan Wilson, Sean McKenzie, Donnie Campbell, Lewis Nielson, Trialist, Trialist.

It's like a rash, it starts off as an irritant but grows into something you need major surgery to remove.

That's the unsavoury section of Celtic fans I witnessed today that I am talking about. The idea in general was a good one, keep the singing, boisterous fans in the one area of the ground, however it's grown into a breeding ground for hatred and bigotry and Celtic FC seem unable to stop them doing and saying whatever they want.

The fact you can't walk down to the stadium anymore without republican propaganda leaflets being forced into your hand tells me that things may be heading backwards instead of forward in the tolerance stakes.

The Celtic fans in general are football supporters who go along with children, wives, fathers, brothers and friends for a day out watching their favourite team. The troublesome section I talk off seem to sing and chant unsavoury songs which have nothing to do with football and more to do with something else, a matter I am not an expert on but its nothing to do with football.

In recent times, both sides of the old firm claim to have zero tolerance with regards to all things bigoted but it strikes me as strange that these things are allowed to go on without repercussion.

Some Celtic fans have in previous years been very vocal about the sale of the Remembrance day Poppy in and around Celtic Park, due mainly to the high percentage of Irish supporters with their feelings around the troubles in Northern Ireland being the mainstay of their hatred. The sale of poppies in their eyes, is seen as giving money to British soldiers and their families something they are not fond of.

What these small minded people don't realise is the poppy selling goes back to the first world war, in which some 46,400 Southern Irishmen lost their lives in the pursuit of European freedom from the Germans. So in effect these so called Celtic supporters, who spew hatred about British soldiers also aim this same hatred towards their own ancestors from less than a 100 years ago, or don't they know their own countries history? Even the Scottish element within this group of trouble makers will know or have known members of the armed forces, even having the possibility that parents or grandparents served in wars in the past.

Today's spectacle which saw Celtic win a record breaking 9-0 over Aberdeen was somewhat tarnished in my eyes after seeing the banners unfurl with words of hatred aimed at British soldiers written upon them. The lack of people wearing poppies was also very apparent.

It's also interesting to note that Sir John Reid, Chairman at Glasgow Celtic, has previously held the post of Minister for Northern Ireland and also Secretary for Defence, so must have been dismayed at seeing such hatred ridden words on a banner within Celtic Park.

In previous years, the trend has been for football clubs to embroider a poppy on the chest of the football strip worn on or around Remembrance Sunday with a minutes silence in memory of the fallen. Celtic supporters do not have a clean record in regards to this with many of the troublesome section singing republican songs during the minutes silence. It's something that Celtic have failed to eradicate and is a constant embarrassment to the club.

Today's banner unfurling would tell me that the same group of so called fans intend to interrupt any memorial silence being planned in the future. The banner makes reference to 'devils in hell', 'Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan' & 'blood stained poppies on our Hoops', not exactly warm friendly words of support for the Poppy appeal and this sort of thing should never have been allowed at Celtic Park.

Just another in a long line of bigoted gestures that seem to be swept under the carpet without resolution and helps keep Scottish football in the dark ages.

The Gauntlet is Down

Sponsorship has been difficult to come by in recent times even for professional sides with recent examples of West Ham and Hamilton being devoid of shirt sponsors.

So when a football academy comes chapping your door asking for money, most people will ask what's in it for them.

The simple answer would be an investment in the future. The future development of a young football players career to be more precise and what could be more important than trying to help these youngsters progress in their specialist field of expertise?

Ayr United Football Academy are a charitable organisation with over 80 volunteers helping over 200 players on a daily basis with all money funded to the Academy, going towards coaching and development of these players in the hope of helping them reach their ambition of playing professional football.

Player sponsorship is only £75, with the 16's and 17's having a full complement of sponsors, so kudos to the players, coaches and parents in finding companies willing to part with their hard earned cash to help further the careers of these young players.

In the instance of the 16's, it has taken the combined power of the parents in order to sponsor every one of their sons. It may surprise some of you that we celebrate the fact that parents sponsor their sons, after all that's what parents are for isn't it? Well no it isn't.

The parents involved, like most parents, invest almost all their time, effort and a great deal of money on trying to help their kids reach their ambitions with the help of the Football Academy, to ask them all for even more money is unfortunate but the 16's parents felt it a necessary evil to help their sons.

The 17's player all have individual sponsors all gained from all walks of life. Restaurants, flooring shops, construction, solicitors, sports shops, garages, security, commercial sales, aerospace, coachworks, joiners and even public bars have all sponsored these players for this season, all doing their bit to help in the development of the stars of the future.

However we have three other pro youth teams that so far only have two players sponsored and also three girls sides that need individual player sponsorship as well. So here it is, the gauntlet has been thrown down by the 16's and 17's to the other age groups, get yourselves some sponsors.

Ask your friends, your family, shop owners, business people, teachers, even the ice cream van owner. Get yourself sponsored, get your kids sponsored. Ask the local barber, the local corner shop owner, your manager at work, the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, just get them sponsored.

The repercussions of a funding shortfall could inadvertently affect future trips to tournaments, curb the purchase of equipment, even stop future transportation to matches, so every sponsor gained helps to keep every single piece of  equipment and every facility at the players disposal. This all ultimately benefits the players and that's why we all do what we do, for the players!

AYR UNITED WIN THE SCOTTISH CUP!!!

by Marc Roseblade

Well, nice sentiment but not exactly the truth in the truest form.
Ayr United Football Academy did win the Scottish Cup, sadly though, only for a day.

The SFA recently ran a contest to win the Scottish Cup for a day. One of the Academy volunteers entered and duly won it, the rest of course is history as the Cup winged its way down the M77 for a photo shoot with the AUFA players last Thursday night at Belmont Academy.

Most players from the Academy got themselves involved in getting up close and personal with the cup, after all its not every day you get yourself next to the oldest footballing trophy on the planet, and with much excitement surrounding the romance of this famous old trophy, everyone wanted to touch it and look for winning teams etched on its silvery stature.

The girls 11′s and 13′s sides were involved first and the players must have felt like it was a red carpet event as hoards of photo hungry parents filled the room to get shots of their daughters with the trophy. In some aspects, the parents appeared more overawed by the cup than the players did, maybe its an age thing but it did hold peoples attention for quite a while.

The 14′s also turned up for their shoot, kitted out in their AUFA refinery for a mock ‘We are the Champions of Scotland’ shot, hopefully with this memory, they can forge on and one day become the real champs of Scotland, holding the cup aloft at a packed Hampden park in front of 53,000 adoring fans.

The 15′s, fresh from training, also took the opportunity to sit aside the cup and the moment wasn’t lost on them as the silvery glow from the shiny trophy disappeared amongst a group of boys swarming round it like bees round honey all trying to find who won the cup the year they were born.

The 16′s who had a match that night also took part, posing like professionals in the aftermath of a glorious Scottish Cup victory, fixing their hair before the cameras started clicking away to capture a superb moment on celluloid that will forever live in their memories.

It was a night not to forget and with the images now stored in the photobanks of many computers worldwide, the night will always be remembered as the day that Ayr United players won and lifted the Scottish Cup.

Official AUFA products are available on their photobox site with prints, fridge magnets, posters, t shirts, mousemats and many more items with photos from the night costing from only 50p.

Thanks go out to the SFA for allowing us this opportunity. Thanks also to (in no particular order) Ayr Advertiser, Ayrshire Post and Graeme Pollock Photography.

Holiday Programme a Roaring Success

by Marc Roseblade

The roars of delight could be heard all over Ayr as the young players who got themselves involved with Ayr United Football Academy annual October Holiday Programme kicked off in earnest during the school holidays and it wasn’t just the parents’ delight that could be heard!

For three days all the kids really enjoyed the different drills and fun games they received from the AUFA community coaches at Pro Soccer complex in Ayr.
Craig Richmond, Football Development Administrator for AUFC and AUFA said, “There were a lot of talented youths showing off their skills during the three days.”
“We also had the girls side from the Academy here and they looked to have had a great time working with me on different drills and lots of game related practices as it was part of their training camp as well as a holiday camp.”

Kids from the age of 3 were involved over the three day camp and looks to be more popular than ever as the Academy goes from strength to strength.
The Academy also has its Term Time Programme which runs from October to December taking place. Spaces are still available, see the Community page for information.

Pro Youth News

by Marc Roseblade

Due mainly to the October School holidays, most pro youth teams had a week off last weekend but all returned on Sunday and were back with a vengeance as some of the scorelines confirm.

The 19's hosted East Fife at Troon Juniors ground, Portland Park, and for anyone that travelled to watch, it was an afternoon to savour as the home sides’ players ran riot over their visiting opponents.

Ayr started the game on top, creating a few opportunities in the opening skirmishes with most coming from Roddy Paterson whose pace was getting him in behind the East Fife defence. He had three one on ones with the keeper but failed to score on any of these occasions.

The opening goal came in 20 minutes when Paterson scored from close range with further first half goals being added by Aaron Connolly and Stuart Milligan.

The second half was somewhat of a procession with an additional four goals being added from Milligan who scored his second and Connolly who secured himself a second half hat trick to take his tally for the game to four.

The 17's continued their fabulous league form and are now 9 games unbeaten and sit proudly atop their respective league. Goals from Scott Aitken and two from recent goal scoring machine, Deci MilliganBerwick Rangers 3-0.

Neil Duffy's 15' quietly go about their business as they, like the 17s are unbeaten this year in league football and despite a sidelined top scorer, Ryan Nisbet, still managed a couple of goals from Steven McCarrison and Mick Ahern. This side had gone three weeks without a match due to the holidays but with James Hart returning in goal and Andy Willock returning to the midfield after injury, the boys proved they had the stomach for the match and kept up their unbeaten run.

The 14's had an unexpected surprise on their away day to Arbroath after their venue was switched at the last minute which enabled the young stars to play at Arbroath's Gayfield stadium. This must have inspired the players as goals from Roy Barr, Sean McKenzie and another from Aiden Conner kept up Gary Gibb's young players excellent record this season.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available within the Academy with all proceeds going to help these young stars progress their playing capabilities and hopefully become the Ayr United players of the future. Details can be found at www.aufa.org.uk or visit the AUFA Facebook site for links.

END

 

 

 

17's were in action at Prestwick Academy against unknown quantity Berwick Rangers who only received clearance recently to play in this league and are some 5 or 6 matches behind so prior to this match, it was difficult for the Ayr backroom staff to know what type of side Berwick were.

But thanks to the 17s excellent team this year, the coaches had nothing to worry about as the players carried on their good work to win another hard fought match.

Scott Aitken, Tyler Campbell and Deci Milligan all had early chances with some fantastic play coming from captain Steven Hutchison. They could have been 3 or 4 goals up by the time they scored their first of the game in 21 minutes when Milligan was pushed in the box with the home side winning a penalty which Milligan himself put away via the post, giving his side a deserved lead.

Aitken had a few chances to score shortly afterwards but was unfortunate not to add to Milligan's earlier goal. Cammy Barr also tried his luck from right in front of goal but under pressure, shot wide.

10 minutes before half time, Dale McCormack made a superb cross from the left that was met in the air by Aitken who headed on target but the visiting keeper saved from his point blank range attempt on target but from the resulting save came a rebound that Aitken fired into the goal without dispute this time to take the score to 2 nil for the Ayr team.

Ayr had some excellent spells in the first half that coach Davie Adams was quick to point out to his players during his team talk in the break. The coaching team also made it clear to the players they had to keep their concentration and discipline in order to maintain their lead in this match.

It didn't take long in the second 45 for the Ayr side to make their strengths known as Aitken crossed for Campbell who knocked just past before Dale McCormack lobbed a cross over the defensive back line before hitting the last man defender which nearly landed in the goal but out for a corner.

Aitken was next up again with an attempt but after turning his opponents defenders inside out, his shot, unfortunately drifted past the post.

Mistake and goal of the match came 15 minutes into the second when a back pass to the Berwick keeper was badly sliced by the stopper some 25 yards out near the throw in line and the pressure placed by Ayr striker Milligan paid dividends as he picked up the loose ball and coolly passed home the loose ball, giving the Ayr team an unassailable 3 nil lead.

Ayr should have extended their lead a few minutes later when a pinpoint corner from captain Hutchison was met expertly in the air by Aitken that was only kept out the net by a peter the cat like save from the visitors keeper.

On the half hour mark, Lee Lockhart made his entrance and immediately tried his luck with a trademark 35 yard attempt, only being thwarted by the crossbar. A few minutes later Lockhart, nicknamed Hammer, pinged a 35 yard cross field pass perfectly to Campbell who knocked it down for Milligan but he was unlucky as his shot was saved by an alert Berwick keeper to keep the scoreline to just the three.

The coaches were understandably pleased with the result saying "We really should have won by more with the amount of chances we created but when we create them, we will always score at least a few and if we keep playing like that, we will remain hard to beat. Unbeaten in the league and yet another clean sheet, we have to be happy with that. No complaints here!"