Ross Robertson interview

Former Academy star helps Ayr on their promotion chase!

With the country in recession and living through tough financial times, football clubs as well as businesses are finding it hard.

The economic downturn has seen Ayr United looking to the Academy rather than spending money buying players in from different clubs.

This season, the supporters have seen two former Academy players feature heavily in the first team games in the shape of Jonathan Tiffoney and Ross Robertson.

Robertson has been involved in the first team matches throughout the season and it is intriguing to find out his views on the team’s promotion chase as well as his experience at the Academy.

Here is what Ross had to tell our reporter Michael Lamont when they sat down for a chat before Wednesday night’s game against East Fife.

Q: What clubs did you play for as a boy before joining the Academy and what age were you when you signed?
A: When I was 14 I played with the Hibernian pro youth team. From there I signed for Prestayr Thistle. I joined the Academy when I was 17 after Mark Shanks approached me when I was playing for Prestayr at the Rozelle tournament. I was also asked to join Queen of the South youths but I opted for Ayr as they are my local team.

Q: What did you learn during your time at the Academy and are there any Academy coaches who particularly helped your career?
A: The main thing I learnt was to have a good attitude. I learnt that being a good footballer isn’t all about being skilful, attitude is equally as important.Malky Boyle was a great help. He was my under 19’s coach and gave me lots of helpful advice.

Q: What advice would you give Academy players aspiring to reach your level?
A: The main thing I would say is to work hard at all times. In training and in games. If you do that and have the right attitude, opportunities will come and it’s just a matter of taking them.

Q: How have you found the step up from the under 19s to the first team? What is the biggest difference?
A: The players are far more physical and stronger. I also don’t get as much time on the ball as I did in the under 19’s games. It was difficult at first to adjust to the pace of the games but after a few matches I got used to it and I’m now really enjoying it.

Q: What are your personal goals for the rest of the season and beyond?
A: My main aim is to hold down a permanent position in the first team. I’ve enjoyed playing at this level and would like to be starting, getting as much playing time as possible and help the side to promotion. At the moment I just want to focus on Ayr.

Q: Who has given you the most advice since joining the first team?
A: Mark Roberts has been a great as he helps me and the younger boys a lot in training by giving us advice in order to complete drills more effectively. Every team needs more experienced individuals to give advice to younger players. He has also helped me with my diet. He’s given me advice on what to eat such as having pasta pre match to provide lots of carbohydrates. The Manager is a great help as well. He’s always talking and giving encouragement. As he was a centre back in his playing days, he has given me some great tips on playing in that position.

Q: This season, you have played in defence, midfield and as a striker. What is your preferred position and why?
A: My favoured position is centre midfield as you see a lot of the ball and you are more involved in the game. I really enjoyed playing there in the under 19’s and scored a lot of goals when I was in that position. However, at the moment, I am just happy to be involved in the first team and will play in any position as there are a lot of talented players that play in the centre of midfield.

Q: After the disappointing result against Livingston (12th Feb) do you and the rest of the squad still believe you can win the league or do you think the play offs are a more realistic aim?
A: Yes I firmly believe that we can still win the league. Our aim at the start of the season was for automatic promotion and we still think that can happen. The league is wide open and anyone can beat anyone. Every team will slip up and even though we still have to play Brechin and Livingston away from home, I am confident that we can go and get results up there.

Q: After the team’s impressive performances against Hibs and St Mirren, do you think that there is a big gap between SPL and 2nd Division?
A: No, there isn’t a big gap in quality. The biggest difference is that the SPL teams are full time and train more than we do. However, we showed that we can compete against some of the big clubs like Hibs home and away. We did well against St Mirren as well but were just unlucky.

Q: How big an influence do you think the fixture congestion will have in Ayr’s promotion chase?
A: I think it will play a big part, but as long as our players keep injury free and play well then we’ll have a great chance of promotion. Playing away in midweek doesn’t bother us as we are confident of beating any team in the league and proven that we can.

Ross Robertson has been an extremely reliable player for Ayr this season and has been a permanent feature in the first team. He has made many telling contributions in his first season including his first goal on the 29th January 2011 in a 4-3 win for Ayr United against Stenhousemuir at Somerset Park. Robertson rose above the defence to nod home at the Somerset Road end. He also came on against Hibernian at Easter Road and played an influential part in Ayr’s 5th Round cup tie against St Mirren.

Ross was very confident about the side’s ability to be promoted and seemed delighted to be involved with the first team. Ross spoke very highly of the Academy and this year, the AUFA (Ayr United Football Academy) is continuing to produce quality players such as Shaun Kelly, Dale Moore and Darryl Jones who have been on the bench for some crucial games lately. They will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Robertson who is a talented, confident player with a bright future ahead of him.

Interview and report by Michael Lamont

Photograph by D Sargent