15's Suffer Déjà Vu

 

Ayr 15's entertained Partick Thistle at a cold Prestwick Academy on Sunday and talk about deja vu, this was pretty much a replay of their first encounter of the season with Ayr coming from behind twice only for Thistle to draw level with the last kick of the game.

 

Ayr where probably the better side over the 90 minutes and definately created more chances, but this Thistle side never know when they are beaten and fought all the way to the final whistle.

 

The first period was an even affair, Thistle took the lead with a 25 yard free kick which flew in over James Harts head. Steven McCarrison and Ryan Nisbett both had half chances to equalize but failed to find the net. Ayr where the stronger team in the second period and dominated possession. A great run and cross from Jason Filippi flew in off a defenders head for a well deserved equaliser. However against the run of play Thistle scored again when a speculative 35 yarder caught out James Hart and put Thistle ahead.

 

The third period was the same as the second with Ayr in control and passing the ball around well. Ryan Nisbett put Ayr back level with a cool finish after being put through on goal. McCarrison, Forrest, Nisbett and Anderson all had decent chances to put Ayr ahead but found a Thistle keeper in top form. Ayr finally got the goal their play deserved when Mick Wardrope scrambled the ball home from close range for his first of the season. 

 

Ryan Nisbett then had another two one on ones with the keeper but again Ayrs luck was out. Thistle came back strong in the last five minutes and drew level with a minute to go when a cross from the right caught out a sleeping Ayr defence for the Thistle striker to stab the ball home. Ayr had one final chance from Forrest after a great run but again the Thistle keeper stood strong.

 

Coach Neil Duffy said afterwards, "Overall a pleasing performance against a strong and physical Thiste side. On another day Ayr had enough chances to win the game but full credit to Thistle for fighting all the way to the end in what was an entertaining game."

 

Photo of Wardrope please.

Ayr United 17’s travelled away today for a lunchtime kick off against Livingston that ended up deciding the SFL 17s league title.

The Ayr players were facing the toughest game of their season and the their opponents provided a very competitive and close fought match played with a tricky wind. Ayr kicked off with a following breeze behind their backs and after two minutes showed their intent with Lee Lockhart shooting narrowly wide. Only a couple of minutes later the trialist forward was unlucky not to score after a great ball in from Lockhart.

Livingston put together some good passing movements and proved to
be feisty opponents with both sides attempting to keep the ball on the deck
but defences were on top during the opening exchanges.
In 10 minutes the Livingston keeper had a great double save from Deci Milligan and  as the first half wore on, it became a tight and competitive game with Livingston missing two chances when they really should have been done better.

Milligan again found himself with a bit of room in the box on 25 minutes but the Livingston keeper made a good one handed save to block his goal bound strike. At the other end, James Kinniburgh hadn't had a real save to make at this point with only a couple of crosses to take.

The game was proving to be a midfield encounter with neither team taking the ascendency at this point. Livingston made good progress on their right
hand side with the overlapping runs of the full back causing Ayr some
problems and just with half time approaching, the first real moment of
controversy appeared when a cross to the back post bounced up and
appeared to hit Ayr' Steven Hutchison high on his arm.

The referee pointed to the spot which seemed a rather harsh decision as it was clearly a case of ball to arm rather than anything deliberate at with the clock showing 45+2, it wasn't the ideal time to be conceding a goal. The penalty was struck low to James Kinniburgh’s right corner but the keeper was equal to it getting his finger tips to it to put it onto the post which was immediately followed by the shrill of the referee' half time whistle.


After a positive half time team talk by Head Coach Davy Adams the team responded well and started the second half really strong taking the game to Livingston. With the positional change at half time of moving Cameron Barr into centre midfield and with Lockhart moving wide of Barr to giver a narrower three
in midfield, Ayr were a different side and were very determined in the tackle. 

Ian Aitken was holding the ball up well and Milligan began to cause problems for the Livingston defence. Scott Aitken was brought down at the edge of the box and the keeper saved well from Lockhart's free kick. Pressure was building and
Ian Aitken was just denied by the keeper when through on goal.
The Ayr side were pressing the ball and denying space to their opponents and in 60 minutes all the good work paid off.

From the right side of the field Lockhart played a great ball into the box which saw the Livvy keeper foul the brave Milligan and earn a penalty for his side. Milligan dusted himself down and slotted home a great strike, sending the keeper the wrong way to give Ayr a 1-0 advantage over Livingston.

Scott Aitken made way for Forsyth and Tyler replaced Milligan who was toiling with a chest condition. Forsyth then went close with a shot over the bar and the referee rightly waved away a Livingston claim for a penalty.

The rest of the second half was similar to the first half with both teams committed to winning the game however, United defended well all over the park and Ayr saw out the remaining minutes comfortably but the referee seemed to take forever to blow the final whistle, playing over 4 minutes injury time but the whistle did eventually blow and the Ayr 17s recorded their 12th win of the season and with this came another clean sheet.

After the final whistle sounded it became clear with the result at Alloa that Ayr had indeed clinched the league title as they discovered that Stirling had lost 3-2 away to Alloa which ensured that the league was won this very day and wouldn't be decided with the Ayr v Stirling game next week.

Afterwards, Ayr's Director of Football, John Crawford, who has took a coaching consultants role with the 17's in the second half of the season said,"This was a very good Ayr performance with every player playing their part. That has been a main factor throughout the season with a terrific team spirit. Many good individual performances this week but it was the collective performance on the day which again counted."

Trying to contain his joy of the team winning the league trophy, he continued on,"Winning the 17’s SFL Youth League is a great moment for all concerned with the Academy as it is the first major trophy and league win the Academy have a achieved. The team have now won 12 league matches and drawn one out of the total 13 league games d played and they still have two to play. The team have scored 38 goals and conceded on just 8 occasions. A great achievement!"

In summing up he said,"Congratulations go to all the players for their efforts over the season and to the coaching staff of Davie Adams, Mark Pringle and Stuart Galloway who have helped immensely with developing the players.
Congratulations should also go to Allan Paul for his efforts in coaching the team over a 4 year period and to the Sports Science and Physio input . Thanks also to all the Academy coaches over recent seasons who have worked hard to help with the development of the players. This proves that the hard work has bore fruit."

Today's squad:
Kinniburgh, Hutchinson, Muir, Marlow, Marshall, Barr, Brown, Lockhart, Aitken, A. Trialist, Milligan, Wylie, March, Campbell, Forsyth, McCormack and Smith 

This time it's personal!


The Pirates line up for the second round of their local rivalry against a Regal side that is much changed from the last time the met.


Brendan and his band of Pirates will be hoping for a repeat of the 2 nil win they managed, but things will be much tougher this time around after the departure of top scorer Roy Hernandez to today's opponents in a mid winter switch that is akin to Torres' much talked about move to Chelsea this very weekend.



The Pirates will be hoping to continue the good work laid out two weekends ago when they managed a four point weekend against top team Tulsa Lobos.
 
A win or draw tomorrow at Maya Park will see the Galveston side go top and with Tulsa having a free weekend, its a great time to stamp their authority on the league and taking charge.

The Regals of course have another match on Sunday against Club America, a tough tie in itself, but they will have both eyes focused solely on Saturdays match and like last time, they will fancy themselves to be victorious.

The Pirate spirit is strong though, the players are focused, the coach is pumped.

The time has come for strong hearts and fighting spirit, now is the time, Maya Park is the place. Be a part of it!

14's Suffer Mid Winter Blues

Ayr and Saint Johnstone started their first game back after a lengthy winter break with a game that swung from end to end for the first 20 minutes.

The 14s had keeper Sean Robinson to thank for keeping the score level up to that point with an outstanding save on that 20 minute mark but the game could have swung in Ayrs favour in the next 10 minutes if the Ayr players had their goal scoring boots on.

Firstly, after a great passing move between Reece Lapham and Declan Adam led to a crisp pass to Donnie Campell who beat one defender before sending a delightful pass to Ryan Wilson who was left one on one with the goalkeeper but unfortunately slid the ball past the right hand post.

A few minutes later Aiden Connor broke down a St Johnstone attack and played a first time pass over the top to Wilson who ended up one and one with the goalkeeper again but like his last effort, put the shot just wide.

Ayr attacking prowess was undone though as St Johnstone gained possession just in side the Ayr half and his direct running and speed allowed him to go past the Ayr players and with a clinical finish made it 1 nil to the home team.

3 minutes after this disappointment, a defensive error by St Johnstone let Wilson latche on to a loose ball but his effort although on target was clipped past by the keeper. St Johnstone to their credit battled back once again and with another break up field, added another goal to make it 2 nil.

The second period started with St Johnstone having a lot of the possession and after only three minutes of the restart Ayrs keeper Robinson was called upon to make a great save to keep the scoreline at 2-0. Ayr had to respond and did so with a very good passing move involving Donnie Campbell, Jordan Bruce, and Blaine Swift who played a delightful pass through to Aiden Connor whose first time delivery into the box found Roy Barr and with a flying header was unlucky as it went sailing past the post.

Into the 3rd period and the introduction of Sean McKenzie, on for the very hard working Roy Barr, was found with an inch perfect pass from Declan Adam. McKenzie held off the St Johnstone center half and had a great strike saved by the home teams keeper. At the other end the 14’s had their replacement keeper Lewis McMurdo to thank for keeping them in the game with two very good saves in a 3 minute period.

Ayr’s work rate and quality of passing rose during the 3rd period and with Lewis Neilson and Lewis Hunter finding their range of passing and movement, the Saints team had a new midfield package to handle. The game was on the up for Ayr and after Declan Adam gained possession just inside his own half, he made a  good pass to Ryan Wilson who held the ball up before passing to Sean McKenzie and after beating two players squared the ball back to Declan Adam whose fine shot was well saved by the home goalie.

Ayr had two more chances in this 3rd period but on both occasions Sean McKenzie put his chances just wide of the posts.

The 4th period saw Ayr take a foot hold in the game with a goal from Sean McKenzie. Defender Reece Lapham broke down a Saints attack to play the ball over the top of his opponents defenders to find Sean McKenzie and after holding off some fierce defending, scored in the bottom right hand corner to give some well deserved credit to the Ayr boys.

Ayr continued to press and play some great football, however time was not on their side and that was the end of the scoring.

  
Coach Gary Gibson had asked the squad to express themselves today and be creative, 70% achieved, still 30% room for development.

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, Lewis Hunter, Micheal Stewart.

Monday morning, down the Gym. Is that you?

Like millions of other body aware people in the world, you will spend countless hours of your life trying to keep your body in shape as old father time tries to take you apart piece by piece. You can only exercise so much of your body though and sometimes there are areas that no amount of fitness planning will help with.

You know, the areas of your face that seem to age faster than your grandparents and there isn't an exercise machine around that can do anything about it.

However, there is a temporary measure that can be taken to halt the aging process and even take your skin back to a time when wrinkles were something that old people got.

Botox.

Botox injections are becoming increasing popular in the UK as a well managed part of peoples life and with most clinics offering it as part of their medical treatments, its easier than ever to roll back the years to a more youthful complexion.

Botox prices can start around £180 or £200 in London but for an effect that lasts up to 6 months, its a treatment well worth this small amount.

Botox Clinics are around the whole of the UK and are warm and friendly places to visit. Gone are the days of stuffy Doctors offices costing thousands of pounds a visit.

It's also easy to forget some of the other Botox treatments that are available. Botox can help with Neck cords, helping to loosen the neck muscles that cause the prominent neck folds which can also produce a more youthful look.

More medical based ailments that can be helped with Botox are excessive sweating, migraines and preliminary studies have shown that it can help alleviate lower back pain so it isn't just a treatment for people who want to look younger, it's for every one.

Ayr Fire Into Quarter Finals


Ayr under 19's joined their senior counterparts this week in progressing through to the next round of the Scottish Cup, in this instance, it was the Scottish Youth Cup.

It's been a while since the 19's were in competitive action and with three enforced player omissions, the time was right to call up some of the younger potential stars from the younger academy sides, most notably 17's midfield free kick specialist, Lee Lockhart,  and up and coming striker from the 16s, Mark Shankland. Both were to play their part in an exciting match watched by a decent crowd at Somerset Park.

In a fast and frenetic start, neither team took the game by the scruff of the neck and it took 10 minutes before a goalkeeper had a save to make when Lockhart hit a tame free kick right into the hands of the visiting goalie. From this save, the keeper moved the ball up the field and in a bizarre moment of defending by Ayr, a communication mix up nearly caused an own goal as a defensive pass back whistled past the out rushing Daryl Jones and just before it hit the back of the net, a brilliant piece of defending from Alan Murdoch, cleared the ball from the line to keep the game scoreless.

Ayr were dominating midfield with some nice play from Sean Kelly, Robbie Crawford and Lockhart but for all their domination, the Ayr side couldn't make the breakthrough and for the next 20 minutes the ball moved around the field, mainly in midfield but no opportunities were made at either goal with the goalies barely touching the ball in this time.

Lockhart tried his best to open the scoring again from a dead ball chance;Again from a free kick, this time unlucky as his strongly powered strike clipped the post after beating the goalie. He had another opportunity five minutes later after Ayr won another free kick just outside the box with a dubious looking last man handball to stop an attack which won the defender a yellow card. The free kick was high and wide but young Lockhart was showing his appetite for goal.

Although Lockhart had the best chances to open the scoring in this match so far, he would have to be happy with an assist for the opening goal. After receiving a brilliantly worked move by captain for the day, JJ Hawkshaw, Lockhart won a corner. Lockhart took the corner himself, playing in a wonderful ball over the top of the Clyde defenders for striker Darren Baird to fire in from close range when under pressure from the goalie.

It was a great time to take the lead, only two minutes until the break and up until now, the Ayr team had looked on top in all areas of the field. The players finished this half on a high after eventually breaking the deadlock and this form was to continue into the second 45.

Only two minutes into the second and Baird was unlucky twice in the space of that minute, unluckily having a shot deflected wide and then Dale McClelland crossed perfectly for him but under pressure from keeper knocked wide but the signs were good for Ayr to increase their lead.

The Clyde keeper was having a great game and would make more fantastic saves before the end of the match to keep the scoreline respectable for his side.

On the 53rd minute, two more saves were needed from the in form keeper, firstly to keep out Stuart Milligan after a brilliant through ball from Lockhart had released him into the box, and then again when McClelland fired in a stunning goal bound shot.

Alan Murdoch tried his luck from 35 yards which was ambitious for a centre half and on the return of the ball, Clyde broke down the left and with their first real shot at goal nearly scored as the well hit shot took a deflection on its way toward goal and only stayed out thanks to some quick reflex thinking from the defence.

Clyde were pushing into the match at this mid point of the second half and went close again with a shot from 18 yards lobbed over the keeper and fortunately for Ayr, looped over the bar as well.

Ayr's coaches made a change, bringing on Roddy Paterson for Dale McClelland to try and mix things up a little.

In the next few minutes shots from Sean Kelly and Robbie Crawford were both well saved by the keeper and Paterson earned the Ayr side a free kick on the half way line after being halved by his marker, which earned the visiting side their second yellow of the match. The resulting free kick saw Kelly play the ball into Milligan but again he was thwarted by an inspired goalkeeper.

Completely against the run of play, Clyde did have the ball in the net on the 30 minute mark after a long cross into the tall striker but the assistant referee saw an infringement and flagged for a free kick for the home side, much to everyones relief.

This seemed to kick the Ayr players back into top gear as they peppered the away goal with countless shots on target looking for the second goal that would surely end the match. This goal was to eventually come with 10 minutes remaining when Roddy Paterson received a great pass to fire in from a difficult angle 12 yards out. It was a terrific goal from the striker and reminded watching Ayr United boss that he still knows the way to goal.

16's player Mark Shankland was to enter the fray before the match restarted, making way for him was midfielder Lockhart who had been unlucky not to get himself on the score sheet. Shankland was to have an immediate impact when almost playing Paterson in with a well timed chip over the defenders only to be outwitted by the keeper, again, but earned his team a corner.

The two substitutes were to link well together for the remainder of the match and in a move that involved Kelly and Crawford as well as themselves, they played Baird into a shooting position only for the goalie to make another superb flying save to keep the home side out.

Like a show at a funfair, Shankland was next to try and beat the goalie. After receiving the ball on the 18 yard line from Milligan, he turned beautifully to decieve his defensive counterpart to make some space for his shot, again though the keeper was a match for the effort and his work wasn't finished as Paterson weaved his way through the defence and when 1 on 1 with the keeper, placed a well struck low daisy cutting shot toward the bottom right of the net, but the keeper dived low again keeping the ball out the goal.

This was to the last play of the match and when the final whistle was blown, the joy on the Ayr players faces was clear for everyone to see.

They have now joined Hibs, Stenhousemuir and Livingston in the last eight. The winners from Aberdeen v St Mirren, Rangers v Hamilton, Celtic v Airdrie & Falkirk v Raith will also go into the hat for the draw in the last eight. Last years competition saw Ayr drop out at the 2nd round stage so a huge improvemnet has been made in terms of progress with the cup eventually being won by Celtic, defeating rivals Rangers 2-0.

Ayr Dominate Motherwell

 

Ayr 15s turned in their best performance of the season to beat a very strong Motherwell side comfortably on Sunday. Ayr totally deserved the victory with every single member of the squad playing to their true potential but it was Motherwell who started the game sharper and it took Ayr a while to adjust to the higher tempo of the performance level side.

 

Motherwell took the lead in the 5th minute when their giant centre half rose above a static Ayr defence to head home the opener. They doubled their lead shortly after when the tall striker beat two Ayr defenders to finish well. The second goal seemed to waken Ayr up and they started to match Motherwells tempo and slowly played themselves back into the game.

 

Ayr pulled one back after 25 minutes when the impressive Mick Ahern twisted and turned in the box before finishing well. The goal galvanised Ayr further and they started to take control of the game. The defence were on top of the Motherwell strikers and the midfield took control of the game and soon enough Ayr equalised just before half time when Steven McCarrison finished well from inside the box.

 

A confident Ayr kicked off the second half and proceeded to dominate the whole second half where the standard of play was outstanding at times. Motherwell were blown away by Ayr's quick tempo passing game and Ayr took the lead when some terrific interplay from Liam Anderson and Jason Filippi ended in a great through ball to Ryan Nisbett who finished well with a low shot past the keeper. Nisbett put Ayr further ahead with his second of the game with a great curling effort over the keepers head from the corner of the box.

 

Anytime Motherwell broke forward they were well controlled by Ayr's back four of Keegan, Howie, Campbell and Ewart with James Hart solid in the nets.

 

Wardrope, Forrest and Willock controlled the midfield with some terrific passages of play and Ayr scored again midway through the half when Mick Ahern picked the ball up at the edge of the box, dribbled his way towards goal before finishing with aplomb. Forrest and McCarrison then set up Nisbett who ran round the keeper to complete his hat trick. Alan Forrest got in on the action to complete the Ayr's scoring with a scorcher into the top corner.

 

Coach Neil Duffy beamed at the end saying, "This was an outstanding display against one of the strongest performance level teams. There was no failures in a great team effort and Ayr thoroughly deserved the win. A particular mention for big Ross Campbell who turned in a terrific display at centre half."

Ayrshire Derby Suffers a Cold

Friday night saw Youth Initiative side Ayr United 17s continue their friendlies prior to the resumption of the final 3 league games with a tricky tie against Performance level side and county rivals, Kilmarnock 17s.

A large crowd had gathered at a fog covered Prestwick Academy to see the two clash and they weren't disappointed with the quality of play on show from both sides.

Although the match was abandoned after 62 minutes, both sets of coaches were happy to end the match at that stage as the conditions continued to deteriorate and to avoid any injuries occurring, it was decided to end the match.

Even prior to the match, the slippy surface had caused one of Ayr's normal starters, Cammy Marlow, to withdraw when he strained his hamstring in the warm up.

Ayr had an recently released ex Killie player in their lineup as a trialist and he didn't fail to make his feelings known to the visiting coaching staff and players during the 62 minutes, playing hard and showing his ex teammates what they had missed out on.

The game, like many others swung from end to end at times, and other times one or the other team dominated for periods of time. Killie however got off the mark quickest but two excellent save from Ayr keeper James Kinniburgh but Ayr were pressing hard at the other end and went close with a strike, only kept out by the crossbar.

Although Ayr had altered their lineup from their normal starting 11, it didn't deter them from trying to play their normal style of passing football and a great move through the middle to the trialist nearly ended in a goal as he headed the ball down to Adam Forsyth but unfortunately blasted over from only a few yards out.

Both these players again joined forces as Forsyth hit a 20 yard effort that couldn't be held by the keeper and up popped trialist to fire in the rebound from a few yards out and give the home side the lead.

A few moments after the restart Ayr's keeper had to pull of a great save to keep the score as it was and Mark Shankland who has been promoted from the 16's side almost doubled Ayr's lead when he tried lobbing the back pedaling Killy keeper only to watch the ball clip the top of the woodwork and bounce out of play.

Both teams coaches set about their half team talks in different manners, Ayr's praising the players for the effort and result thus far, Killies using Ayr's joy at beating them as a way of geeing up their players.

The second half started in the frenetic way the first had but the fog was started to dampen the ground even more and made the 3G astro like and ice rink. The players were falling with regularity now and it was starting to concern both sets on coaches.

The match continued though for the moment with Shankland from the Ayr side causing and immense amount of trouble for the Killie defence, likewise, the Killie strikers were causing nightmares in the Ayr rearguard.

Shankland had a couple of good opportunities early in the second half to finish the game off but was unlucky to get on the score sheet as he and Deci Milligan had some brilliant pace and vision up front together.

Killie were pushing more into the Ayr half and forced Kinniburgh to make a couple of outstanding saves but the pressure was soon to tell as a strongly hit shot from 15 yards managed to squirm under the body of the keeper and into the goal to equalize the game at 1-1.

Minutes later the performance level side were to take the lead with another low  shot from close range also found its mark giving the away team a lead that would not be caught on the night.

Both sets of coaches were constantly speaking to the ref during this period to perhaps finish the match early due to the conditions but it would not end before the away team added another, partly thanks to the conditions and partly due to some 6 yard box pinball before ending up in the net.

On 62 minutes the ref called it a day with all the coaches in agreement before someone got injured.

Ayr get back to league action next weekend as they face an away match at Livingston. With only 3 matches remaining in their league, Ayr have a great chance of winning their age group title as they have remained unbeaten in league football this season. The matches should have been played prior to the Holidays but adverse weather halted all play.

AUFA Promotional Films

After months of planning, co-ordination, planning and editing, Ayr United Football Academy with the help of Reid Kerr College are delighted to formally launch its Community, Educational and Pro Youth Promotional Films.

4 different parts have been produced with the intention of using each part separately to help promote and raise awareness of how the AUFA contributes and works in that particular sector of the the community.

Within the 4 films there are many different topics and issues covered.

AYR UNITED FOOTBALL ACADEMY

The main programme lasts approximately 7mins and incorporates all of the elements, activities and ethos of the Academy with the outline structure looking like this:

Introduction to football

Introducing the Academy at its primary location outlining links to Ayr United/SFA but looking in more detail at the Academy’s objectives, its approach, its successes and its progress in the future – primarily through interviews we show how the Academy is:

•     Helping people develop
•     Building communities
•     Promoting social well-being and public safety
•     Providing Education and Training
•     Improving the health of the participants
•     Providing facilities

The Academy prides itself in it coaching and skills development within its Talented Young Footballers Programme which is why the Academy was primarily set up. This section of the film shows the ‘X’ factor aspect of the Academy, providing examples of young players who have successfully made their mark in the sport within Scottish Football through top level coaching and illustrates the high standards of training involved.

Girls football is also on the agenda featuring examples of girls football activities within the AUFA network in Ayrshire. It includes interviews with coaches, the participants and endorsements from parents who describe how it has benefited their children.

QUALITY MARKING AND EDUCATION

Probably the least know of the Academy efforts in the community, this section highlights the educational aspects of the Academy and shows success stories through the eyes of participants, with footage illustrating the educational side of the academy’s activities.

As part of this, the importance of the quality mark scheme is explained and examples of how the Academy supports local football clubs seeking accreditation through the SFA is provided.

SFA Initiatives

The AUFA is heavily involved in sponsor supported initiatives such as the McDonald’s School Football Programme, Tesco Bank Football Challenge amongst others. Representatives from the schools involved speak about the benefits of these programmes with last years Super Festival also being highlighted.

It's a worthwhile watch with the hope that these films can help educate the general public about the structure and educational values within the community that Ayr United Football Academy provides.

The AUFA is a community based programme, here to help a huge band of children and adults across the county with all involved seeing and feeling the benefits of sport in the wider community but still using football as its base.

Enjoy and please feel free to comment and participate in future events.

Weekly Diary of A Young Professional Footballer

The life of a young footballer can be a strenuous one. School, friends, family, football and career. What takes presidence?

Under 16 player, Chris Kelly has written a brief diary of his week for us that we will be sharing on our Facebook page on a daily basis.

See if you could live the life of Young Professional Footballer.

mark shankland

adam forsyth

Pandamonium and SKY Sports TV were the visitors to Ayr United Football Academies Prestwick training facility today in order for the football and media giants to get a small insight into the inner workings of the AUFA.

In the run up to the Scottish Cup Replay between Ayr United and Hibs on Tuesday night, Panda pals organiser, Mark Pettigrew and Andrew Downie organised for SKY Sports to pay a visit down to Ayr to get a preview of what is involved in the Panda Pals setup and also the Football Academy.

Between now and the live match on Tuesday evening, a series of clips will be shown ranging from interviews, training footage and the crossbar challenge which were all filmed at a blustery Prestwick Academy on Sunday afternoon.

Mark Roberts from the Ayr United senior squad also turned out to give an interview. Details of which were highly classified and can only be viewed by watching Sky Sports news.

Keep you peepers peeled for the clips!

Youth Football Scotland

A lot of misconceptions about Scottish Football are made throughout the world claiming the standard of football is poor, the quality of players are bad, their is no skill or talent coming through the ranks and to a certain point this may be correct. However, Scottish Football is working to rectify that and however late this may be, progress is on the way.

As someone who works closely with the Ayr United Football Academy, I will try to explain the changes that are being made to help bring through our next generation of young players.

In Scotland, like many other countries, the footballing finances are in meltdown. Outside of the big 5 European countries, there just doesn't seem to be any spare cash to spend on players, development or training facilities.

Ayr United like so many others always looked towards ways of cutting resources when money was tight and unfortunately the youth setup was always a prime target when thinking of ways to save a couple of dollars.

5 years ago a group of local supporters and businessmen decided that for a club the size of Ayr to move forward, they had to start and run an Ayr United Football Youth Academy whose finances were raised for the Academy and ring fenced for player development without the need of funds from the Ayr United senior club. With the acceptance that this was to benefit both the Academy players and the club itself, board members were chosen and the AUFA as we know it today was born.

As a self financing charity, it receives funding and grants from the Scottish Football Association, local government and the National health service in Scotland. It also had to top this up with sponsorship opportunites for local and national businesses in order to keep up the high standards that have been set in the organisation.

The Academy have sports science classes, schools programmes, college programmes, local boys clubs development programmes, development and coach SFA quality mark programmes, primary school programmes and SFA coaching programmes to name a few.

Weekly Friendly Roundup

The Under 17s played two games last weekend, the first of which was in blizzard conditions at Carrick Academy in Maybole against the Jimmy Johnstone Academy with the Ayr lads emerging as 2-1 winners with goals from Adam Forsyth and Deci Milligan. On Sunday at Prestwick Academy they took on Park Villa Under 19s losing out 3-1 with Ayr's scorer Cammy Marlow.

The 19's took on Troon Juniors on Thursday 13th coming from 2 goals down to win the match 3-2.

Other upcoming matches are listed in the fixtures list.

On The Hunt of Silver

The 19's return this Sunday and they're on the trail of Silverware.

As the season stutters back into life, the 19's first competitive task of the new year is to overcome Clyde in the Scottish Youth Cup at Somerset Park this coming Sunday 23rd January.

The match, which was cancelled from earlier this month due to the cold weather and frozen Somerset surface, will see the team one step closer to the final, if they win of course.

All the players have been keeping busy since returning after the holiday period with the team having played a couple of friendlies to get their match sharpness back and come 1pm on Sunday, they will be raring to go and get stuck back into competitive football again.

by Marc Roseblade

Want your name on an Ayr strip?

We are half way through the season and you or your business will never have a better chance to get your name on the strip of Ayr United.

The Ayr United Football Academy offers a wide range of sponsorship opportunities to help support and fund the Talented Young Players Programme.

So far this season, Ayr United have signed seven of the AUFA players on professional contracts showing the advancement that the Academy has made in producing fine young athletes able to compete with Ayr United's first team squad players for a place in the top 11.

Ex Academy players such as Jonathan Tiffoney, Alistair Woodburn and Ross Robertson are all regulars in the squad. Current Academy players Darryl Jones, Ian Fisher, Shaun Kelly, Dale Moore, Robbie Crawford and Roddy Paterson have all been chapping at the managers door asking for a spot in the squad and have been getting some playing time, further enhancing their experience.

In the current footballing financial climate, this is the way ahead for Ayr United but for the Football Academy to continue supplying players that can be pushing for places in the team, they need sponsorship.

The sponsorship that is on offer is by no means a one way transaction. The Academy offer website visibility, photo presentations, press acknowledgement, profiles in the Ayr United Football Programme and help to promote your business or products you may have to name but a few. We want to help you and your business maximise your return on investment.

As the Academy is a charity and self financing, in order to sustain these levels of playing standards, it is vital that we generate as much revenue to support the youth players training schedule and we want to partner with local businesses in order to achieve that.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:

Shirt sponsor    - Logo on Front    Reduced to £500
Shirt sponsor    - Logo on Back    Reduced to £175
Shorts sponsor - Logo on Shorts  Reduced to £100
Player sponsor  - Profile on Website Reduced to £40


Individual tailored packages are available on request, contact Marc at marc.roseblade@aufa.org.uk or phone 07969 231642 to discuss details.

SCOTTISH YOUTH CUP

If you want to see some more of the players chapping at the door of the top team, the 19s are in Scottish Youth Cup action Sunday 23rd January at Somerset Park.


The 4th round tie which was postponed from two weeks ago due to a frozen pitch and will kick off at 1pm against Clyde. The winners will be be entered into the quarter finals of the cup.

It's free entry to the main stand and visitors are welcome.

Get yourself along to see the future!

On The Hunt of Silver

The 19's return this Sunday and they're on the trail of Silverware.

As the season stutters back into life, the 19's first task of the new year is to overcome Clyde in the Scottish Youth Cup at Somerset Park this coming Sunday 16th January.

The match, which was cancelled last weekend due to the cold weather and frozen Somerset surface, will see the team one step closer to the final, if they win of course.

All the players have been keeping busy since returning after the holiday period with the team having played a couple of friendlies to get their match sharpness back and come 1pm on Sunday, they will be raring to go and get stuck back into competitive football again.

by Marc Roseblade

Yearbook

It's a New Year and time to reflect on the players currently playing at the Academy.

The club have arranged a Yearbook to be printed and it's nearly finished after the collation of information has eventually seemed to have been finalised.

This will hopefully be a yearly pictorial for all the players, parents and grandparents to collect as a keepsake for future years to enable us all to look back with the hope that plenty of players involved will be famous footballers one day.

The books will soon be available at £10 a copy, pre orders are being taken by informing the team coaches with the hope that the books will be distributed by the end of January.

Get your order in to avoid disappointment as numbers will be limited.