Sunday, August 29, 2010

Ayr 19s Strange Encounters of the Airdrie Kind

The 19s suffered their first defeat of the season after a strange encounter at Prestwick Academy.


Ayr dominated the early encounters and had some good goalscoring opportunities through Baird, Paterson and Moore on a couple of occasions each and it came as no surprise when the home side opened the scoring on 25 minutes, when a defence splitting Crawford pass found Moore, who drove in on goal and fired into the net.

In true football fashion, a team are at their most vulnerable when they have just scored and the Ayr lads found this out to their cost, losing two goals in the next seven minutes and despite going close on several more occasions through Paterson and Connolly, the half-time score remained 2-1 to the visitors.

Ayr started the second half strong again and had some more unbelievable goalscoring chances through Paterson, Moore, Connolly and Crawford. Again the home side were punished for not taking their chances and found themselves 3-1 down when Airdrie broke up the park and scored.

Ayr's next opportunity fell to Moore and when he rounded the keeper he was brought down for a penalty but picked himself up to score and made it 2-3.

The home sides domination continued and Baird drove in from the right beating three opponents before setting up Connolly, who saw his shot saved by the keeper. This miss again proved costly as Airdrie countered and scored to regain their two goal advantage on the 71 minute mark.

Connolly was next to trouble the Airdrie defence and a good run into the box saw him upended for a second penalty. Moore again converted the spot kick for his hat-trick.

As Ayr were pushing for an equaliser, Airdrie finished the game off, scoring again in the 90th minute to make it 5-3 for the away side.

Coach Stevie McMillan commented afterwards, "The result was a disappointment but the performance on a whole wasn't. We created over 30 chances, which at any level is incredible. The boys will hopefully learn a lot from this game, knowing that offensively they need to be more clinical and defensively, they need to be stronger, make correct decisions and win their individual battles. On another day we could have scored lots of goals, but a mixture of lazy finishing and an inspired goalkeeping performance from the Airdrie keeper kept the scoreline down. There were many good individual performances today, especially Dale Moore who got a well deserved hat-trick for his all round workrate and performance."
17s Return To The Fore With Four Goals


After what seemed an age since their last competitive match, the 17s returned to action today at a windy Prestwick Academy against Dumfries side, Queen of the South.

Ayr started the more sluggish of the two sides and went behind after 20 minutes to a penalty which at this point wasn't undeserved for the visitors.

The Ayr players didn't let their heads go down though and were close to equalizing seven minutes later when the two Cammy's combined with an excellent through pass from Marlow to Barr who struck a sweet shot, that appeared to get caught up in the wind, but the ball struck the barr and the chance was gone.

Ayr were still living dangerously and could have gone a further goal behind, had it not been for the superb goalkeeping reactions of James Kinniburgh saving what looked like a sure goal.

Deci Milligan was next to have a pot shot at goal but his lob just drifted past the post, however right on the stroke of half time, a great through pass from Lee Lockhart to Adam Forsyth put him in a brilliant position to score and he passed the ball into the net to give the Ayr side an equalizing goal to take into half time.

Manager Allan Paul pointed out to the lads at half time that they weren't talking to each other and this seemed to switch a button on in the players as they dominated the second half with some high class performances.

Lee Lockhart was bursting with energy in the second 45 and had some excellent efforts on goal with his long range shots peppering the Queens goal with ever increasing accuracy. In the 54th minute alone, he managed three shots, all just going past the post.

Lockhart himself was also assisting in the effort of others to give the home side the lead when he combined with Adam Forsyth, who played in Deci Milligan but was unlucky in front of goal when he couldn't get the ball from under his feet.

Ayr's defence had to be alert at all times with the visitors counter attacks being thwarted by the excellent defensive work of Jack McClymont, JJ Hawkshaw, Andrew Muir and Dean Marshall who all managed a superbly strong tackling display to keep the Queens at bay.

Ayr's good play eventually led to them taking the lead when Lockhart played the ball in from the right to Forsyth who had the presence of mind and vision to dummy the ball for for Steven Hutchison who blasted into the goal, to give the home side the lead.

Only one minute later, Ayr added another with Lockhart once again played in an excellent ball, this time it was Deci Milligan who received the ball, and he fired in from eight yards out, giving the keeper no chance of saving.

As if in defiance of Ayr's dominance at this point, Queen of the South immediately broke up the field from the kick off but an absolutely superb tackle, more akin to Cirque De Soleil, from Dean Marshall, saved the home side from losing a second goal.

With ten minutes left though, Ayr wrapped the match up when Jack McClymont swung in a magnificent curling free kick from the edge of the box, straight into the top left hand corner of the net to round of the scoring for the home side, giving them four separate scorers.

Manager Allan Paul was happy with the result at the end saying "The boys started the first half with more than a hint of nerves about them and when they lost the early goal, they seemed to have the wind knocked out of them. However they bounced back well and clearly dominated the second half and never looked like losing after we had equalized."

Match squad: Kinninburgh, Muir, McClymont, Hawkshaw, Barr, Lockhart, Hutchison, Marlow, Forsyth, Milligan, Marshall, Brown, McCormack, McFadzean, March, Fisher.
16s Draw Heart From Ryan Stevenson

Ayr 16s took on Hearts on Saturday morning at Hearts' Heriot Watt training comple and had a keen spectator in ex Ayr United and current Hearts player Ryan Stevenson.

Ayr started the game very slowly and it was Hearts who created the better early chances. However, as per last week, Ayr's defence stood firm and worked very well together to keep Hearts from scoring.

Towards the end of the first half, Ayr started to gain control of the game and took the lead with a fine inter passing move, that ended with Fraser slamming the ball home from twelve yards after a cut back from the right.

The second half saw both teams serve up some excellent and entertaining football but it was Hearts who scored from one of the many attacks seen in this game.

As with the first half, it was Ayr who finished the stronger with Gordon, Robertson and Fraser all going close, however in the final few moments of the game, the referee gave a penalty to Hearts but Ayr's keeper Clark, pulled off a spectacular double save to leave the game all square at the end.

Coach Davie White said “This was an excellent game for the Ayr players to experience, and the enthusiasm that the Ayr players showed at times was exceptional. The boys willingness to get involved in all aspects of attacking and defending during this game was highly commendable.
15s Fantastic Five


Ayr 15s played some sparkling football today against a decent, if over physical Cowdenbeath side.
 
Ayr passed the ball around well from start to finish with some great performances, in particular from Michael Wardrope, Ross Campbell and Mick Ahern. The first 60 minutes was all about Ayr and their brand of fast free flowing football. Some of the passages of play were terrific to watch and Ayr at times where tearing Cowdenbeath apart.
 
Ayr scored three in the first period with Ryan Nisbet netting from close range and Jason Filippi finishing well after being put through one on one with the keeper. Not to be outdone, Mick Ahern popped up with a far post  with a header to make it three.
 
The second period saw Ayr again dominating play and they scored a further two. The first was a header from Liam Anderson and the second saw Ross Campbell hit the net with a terrific far post volley.
 
Unfortunately the game started to deteriorate after this, with Cowdenbeath resorting to some rough tackles and foul play to try and stop Ayr in their tracks. The referee failed to get on top of this physicality and the game became a stop-start affair, with the physio seeing more action than some of the players. 
 
A low point of the match saw Aedan Keegan react badly to one bad tackle too many, and was unfortunately sent off for retaliation which saw Ayr have to see out the remainder of the match with only 10 men. 
 
Cowdenbeath used this to their advantage to score two late goals but didn't detract from a fine Ayr performance in what was very difficult conditions.
 
Manager Neil Duffy said afterwards "Hopefully Aedan will learn from his mistake and in future let his football do the talking but overall this was a terrific performance from the boys which must have pleased the watching support."
 
14s Come From Behind To Clinch Win

The Ayr 14s team started one step off the pace set by their Stirling counterparts today in blustery but dry conditions in this away match.

Early possession was shared by both teams, with Ayr having their share of the opportunities to open the scoring but the conditions demanded a passing game on the fine surface with neither team adapting properly to either the conditions, or the instructions of their coaches.

This led to a scrappy affair with little attractive football being played and it took Stirling to take a two goal lead before the young Ayr side reacted. With ten minutes left to play in the final third of the game, Ayr eventually made a breakthrough after a short pattern of play that led to a goal by Sean McKenzie, who finished superbly under great pressure from the Stirling centre half.

Ayr stepped up their game and played on the front foot at this stage, pressing Stirling high up the pitch which led to a number of mistakes by the Stirling side and some well worked opportunities for Ayr.

With a well won ball in the left back position, Ayr played the ball through the midfield and in for Sean Mackenzie, who latched onto a well weighted pass, to finish early to bring Ayr level with minutes to go in the final third.

Straight from the kick off, Ayr pressed quickly to deny Stirling the time to play and this resulted in some nice combination play from Ayr's midfield. Sean Mackenzie was alert to this nice play in midfield and moved intelligently to split the defence of Stirling. On receiving the ball, he still had loads to do but he took a great first touch and finished early in the bottom right hand corner to take Ayr ahead for the first time in the game.

Ayr remained resolute and saw out the remaining seconds of the game to achieve a win against a strong, well organised Stirling team. The young Ayr team eventually ran out 3-2 winners but will need to learn to concentrate right from the start to compete at this level. The result however, will boost their confidence and help them progress as players. 

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

match programme 28th

Football Academy 19s Avenge Semi Final Defeat
by Marc Roseblade

Two trips to Dunfermline, two to Prestwick and one to Partick. All within 5 days. Its not easy following the Football Academy around but its worth it.

Ayr United's Under 19 side took to the field last Wednesday against Dunfermline to eventually play the Reserve League Semi in a match that had been carried over from the previous season due to fixture congestion.

On the night, it just wasn't meant to be for Davie White and Stephen McMillan's side as they lost out 4-1 after conceding 4 goals in a first half that belied the players abilities.

Ayr had plenty of chances in the first period but couldn't convert, meanwhile, the Fife side got plenty of luck as two of their goals came from rebounds of the woodwork.

Ayr's goal on the night came from Stuart Milligan, with exceptional performances coming from Moore, Crawford, Frame, Milligan and Fisher.

Sunday saw the opportunity for the Ayr side to avenge this defeat, as they once again headed up to the Kingdom on league duty this time. The result favoured the AUFA this time with a 3 goal haul including goals from Thompson, who coolly back heeled into the net from close range, after a Moore strike had landed at his feet. The second came when Milligan followed in a Moore shot and smashed in at the back post. Then the excellent Moore completed the scoring when he linked with McClelland and smashed in an unstoppable drive from 25 yards right into the top corner to give him a well deserved goal.

Manager Stephen McMillan commented after the match “This was a very good all round team performance and the quality at times was very good. I can have no complaints and all the players contributed. The lads have set the benchmark high, and will need to work extremely hard to keep at this level but we believe in them and they now have standards to keep up which only bodes well for the rest of this season.”

The Football Academies other sides were also back in Pro Youth League action over the weekend with the 16s scoring three times for a well deserved victory over Arbroath. Neil Duffy's 15s were unlucky not to win as they also scored three times against a physical Partick Thistle side but lost a late goal to draw the match. Finally, the 14s Sean MacKenzie scored a hat trick as his team hit the back of the net eight times in their match against Alloa.The 13s girls also managed a win scoring 7 times, with an incredible 6 goals coming from Dionne Mair and 1 from Hannah Taysum.





This weekend sees the 15s playing Cowdenbeath , 17s kicking off their season against Queen of the South and the 19s in a grudge match against Airdrie. All three are playing home matches at Prestwick, with the 14s the only team on away duty as they head to Stirling.

In other news, AUFA would like to thanks Rensburg Sheppards, who have made a generous donation of £250 to the Academy, to assist the development of its Talented Young Footballers Programme. Rensburg Sheppards are a major investment management company with bases in London, Leeds, Liverpool and Glasgow.

The AUFA welcome a new member to the team this week with the appointment of Chris Johnston in a newly created position of Education Co-coordinator.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Wales - Premier Division
FT Carmarthen 1 - 4 Airbus UK
FT Prestatyn Town FC 1 - 0 Haverfordwest
FT Bala Town 2 - 3 Bangor City
 N. Ireland - Premiership
FT Glenavon 3 - 1 Donegal Celtic
FT Portadown 1 - 3 Ballymena
FT Newry 0 - 0 Glentoran
FT Linfield 1 - 0 Lisburn
FT Coleraine 0 - 3 Crusaders
 Ireland - 1. Division
FT Athlone 1 - 0 Mervue United
 Turkey - Superlig
FT Antalyaspor 1 - 1 Sivasspor
FT Besiktas 0 - 2 Istanbul Buyuksehir
 Turkey - 1. Lig
FT Erciyesspor 1 - 1 Orduspor
FT Samsunspor 0 - 0 Akhisar Belediye Genclik Ve Spor
 Bulgaria - A Grupa
FT Pirin Blagoevgrad 0 - 2 Slavia Sofia
FT Akademik Sofia 0 - 1 Sliven
FT Beroe 2 - 1 Montana
FT Chernomorets Burgas 1 - 0 Vidima-Rakovski
 Romania - Liga I
FT Targu Mures 2 - 6 Dinamo Bucuresti
FT Astra Ploiesti 2 - 2 Universitatea Craiova
FT Pandurii 0 - 0 Gaz Metan Medias
 Serbia - Super Liga
FT FK Sloboda Point Sevojno 1 - 0 OFK Belgrad
FT Jagodina 1 - 0 FC Smederevo
FT Cukaricki 0 - 1 Borac C.
FT FK Metalac 0 - 0 Rad
FT BSK Borca 0 - 2 Vojvodina
 Croatia - 1. Division
FT NK Lokomotiva 0 - 0 Sibenik
FT NK Istra 1961 1 - 2 Osijek
FT NK Varazdin 2 - 0 Dragovoljac
FT Cibalia 0 - 1 Rnk split
FT Karlovac 0 - 1 Rijeka
 Slovenia - PrvaLiga
FT Nafta 2 - 1 Triglav
FT Gorica 3 - 2 Primorje
FT Rudar Velenje 0 - 1 Domzale
 Czech Republic - Druha League
FT Sokolov 2 - 2 Sparta Prague B
FT FC Vlasim 4 - 1 Karvina
FT Zlin 1 - 0 Caslav
 Czech Republic - Gambrinus League
FT Liberec 0 - 0 Pribram
FT Slovacko 1 - 1 Usti nad Labem
FT Sparta Prague 0 - 1 Plzen
 Hungary - Soproni Liga
FT Videoton FC 1 - 1 Ferencvaros
FT Paksi SE 2 - 2 Zalaegerszeg
FT BFC Siofok 0 - 0 Kaposvar
FT Ujpest 2 - 2 Vasas Budapest
FT Kecskemeti TE 4 - 2 Szolnok
 Russia - Premier League
FT Spartak Moscow 4 - 2 Tomsk
FT Krylya Sovetov Samara 1 - 3 Terek Grozny
 Russia - 1. Division
FT Luch Energiya 1 - 1 Volga Nyzhnyi
FT SKA-Energiya 0 - 2 KamAZ
FT Nizhny Novgorod 3 - 1 Dinamo Briansk
FT Mordovya 1 - 0 Shinnik Yaroslavl
FT FC Salyut Belgorod 1 - 1 Ural S.R
FT FC Rotor Volgograd 1 - 2 FC Dinamo St Petersburg
FT Avangard 2 - 1 Irtysh
FT Volgar Gazprom 2 - 2 Baltika
FT Kuban Krasnodar 1 - 0 Khimki
 Poland - 1. Division
FT Sandecja Nowy Sacz 2 - 1 Pogon Szczecin
FT GKP Gorzow Wielkopolski 1 - 1 Gornik Polkowice
FT Radzionkow 2 - 0 Kolejarz Stroze
FT Dolcan Zabki 1 - 3 Flota Swinoujscie
FT MKS Kluczbork 2 - 1 LKS Nieciecza
FT Gornik Leczna 1 - 0 GKS Katowice
 Poland - Ekstraklasa
FT Belchatow 3 - 2 Ruch Chorzow
FT Widzew Lodz 0 - 1 Wisla Krakow
FT Polonia Bytom 0 - 1 Korona Kielce
FT Arka Gdynia 2 - 0 Gornik Zabrze
 Ukraine - Premier League
FT Volyn 0 - 1 Shakhtar Donetsk
FT Illichivets 2 - 2 Arsenal Kiev
FT Met. Donetsk 2 - 0 Vorskla
 Slovakia - Corgon Liga
FT Banska Bystrica 2 - 0 Nitra
FT Kosice 0 - 2 Trnava
FT Zilina 0 - 0 FK Senica
FT Zlate Moravce 2 - 1 Dubnica
FT D.Streda 2 - 1 Presov
 Slovakia - 1. Division
FT Puchov 1 - 4 Lucenec
FT Duslo Sala 0 - 2 Sobota
FT Trencin 2 - 1 Dolny Kubin
FT Bodva Moldava 6 - 0 Liptovsky Mikulas
Searching....