Monday, 4 April 2011

Day Forty One: Ayr United (Somerset Park)




Ayr United v East Fife

Saturday, 2nd April 2011

SFL Division 2


The penultimate ground is upon us. Forty one down and only one to go.


Ayr United's Somerset Park is today's destination and once again we'll be joined by my dad's brother, Raymond. Uncle Raymond to me. He happens to be the Ayr United Scout for Ayrshire and through this we will be getting free tickets for the game. All in we've done no bad with the free tickets over the last ten months. To all who have facilitated this, we Thank You.


Emma's off out in our motor at early o'clock this morning as she must be at her friend Susie's for 8am. They're making up flower bouquets for Mother's Day tomorrow you see. They got twenty three orders and a fair few more than initially anticipated; hence the early start.


As this is the case my dad comes to pick me up at the flat which was nice of him as it saved me that horrible mid-day bus journey across Edinburgh. True to his word he arrives bang on 11.45am as stated he would. Maybe this punctuality trait of his will eventually rub off on me. Doubt it though.


The idea is we'll drive through to Kilmarnock, pick Raymond up and drive on to Ayr. Traffic across Edinburgh is light and we're out on to the M8 in no time. Tam & Stuart keep us company as ever, guests in the studio this week include David Hay ex- Celtic player and manager, and Willie McGuire, who was an Airdrie legend in the 70s & 80's, apparently. Topics on discussion were Subo's 50th birthday party and what Rangers would be called if they went bust. Personal favourites were Cash in the Attic FC & Del Boy FC.


Passing the Pyramids on the M8, you know that bit just beyond Livingston, I was pleasantly surprised to see loads of sheep with red woolly coats running about. Nice.


We decided to go straight through Glasgow rather than around via East Kilbride only to regret that decision the moment we passed the final turn off. We sat in a traffic jam from junction 11 to 18 and travelled less than 5 miles in about forty minutes.


We had to phone Raymond and inform him that we didn't have time to stop in to pick him up before the game and still make kick off. He agreed and said he'd meet us at the Club Shop in front of the main stand.


Driving in to Ayr I had to turn the radio off. I couldn't listen to that muppet Jim Traynor harp on a second longer about whether or not the Rangers Chairman nodded or not. He was getting properly stuck into Chick Young and some reporter from the Telegraph and it turns out he wasn't even in the room when the nod supposedly took place. Richard Gordon had to step in from time to time to stop the argument escalating.


We parked up a short walk from the ground and wandered over to meet Raymond. We buy a programme but decline the offer of the half time draw ticket and my dad draws the line at buying a pin badge from the shop. He's a Killie fan remember and Ayr are their traditional rivals and there is no way he is giving them any money. His words not mine.


Raymond tells me I've just missed the Ayr Panda mascot and if we wait a minute he'll nip back and get him and he can join us for the pre match photo. I kindly decline and tell him I'm more than happy for it to be just me and him.


Photo taken we're off inside the ground via the players entrance and we nip up the back stairs and appear just beside the pie stand. It must be fate. We get a couple, and take them up towards the stand.


You've got to watch the seating at Somerset Park as there are several pillars to block your view and for someone as tall as my old boy you can only really be comfortable in the back row with its extra leg room.


A colleague of Raymond appears, and after quick introductions they break into discussion about the side the manager has put out. There a few quiet grumblings bit none I'd want to put in print.

The pie is disappointing, it's soggy on the bottom and bone dry topside. My dad finishes his and sticks another £3 in my pocket and I'm sent off to get two more just in case these two are a from a bad bunch. The second effort doesn't fair much better.


Raymond pipes up with another hidden gem regarding him and my dad watching football when they were younger. Earlier this season he enlightened me with the knowledge that my dad was once a Hibs fan and now he tells me that during the late 50s and 60s when Kilmarnock were playing away from home they'd both come down here to watch United.


Still I'll let him off as he's been Kilmarnock through and through since then.


The sun is shining brightly in Ayr and here's hoping we get an entertaining game. Things start off in a positive motion when Ayr run out to Back in Black by AC/DC.


The game kicks off.


Both teams start brightly and it's the visitors who score first after only seven minutes. East Fife win a corner and from Bobby Linn's delivery Matthew Park has a free header at the back post and scores with ease.


The home fans are not happy whereas the small band of supporters for the Fife side are delighted. Raymond and his mate comment on the poor marking and how such and such would have done a better marking job in that position.


Ayr are level within ten minutes through Alan Trouten. William Easton made good progress down the left wing and he cut into the penalty and attempted a cross. This was deflected up behind Trouten who, with a casual flick of his boot, sent the ball over own head and beyond the reach of Michael Brown in the Fifers goal.


Five minutes later and East Fife should have retaken the lead when another Linn cross into the box is met by Ryan Wallace. From only six yards out he managed to some how sit on the ball and the danger is cleared.


Easton then had a ping at goal which had the keeper beaten but unfortunately for the home side it went just wide.


The impressive Trouten then skipped past three or four challenges as he ran fifty yards in to the heart of the away sides penalty box and whilst we were all screaming at him to shoot he chose to pass to top scorer Mark Roberts. He surely must score. He fluffs his shot and it goes so slowly the keeper almost dives past it before he collects it comfortably. A huge groan emits from the terracing.


Five minutes before the break Steve Hislop has a great chance to put the visitors two one up but after finding space in the box his shot was straight at the keeper.


Then right on the stroke of half time Scott Durie's clumsy tackle on Mark Roberts is punished with the award of a penalty. Roberts picks himself up and places the ball on the spot. He steps back a few paces, runs up and hits the softest penalty I've seen in a while straight down the middle at the keeper. I managed to get a photo of it as you see above.


You can see the lads confidence is down and Raymond tells me it's been a while since Roberts has scored and while he isn't scoring the goals aren't coming from around the team. He goes on to tell me he had Roberts playing for him in the Kilmarnock School Boys teams throughout his teens.


Half time.


We decide against a third pie but I do troop off down the stairs to visit the gents. Got to be one of the smallest toilet facilities we've seen so far and surely could do with a wee revamp.


The second half kicks off and Ryan McCann almost scored with a cheeky lob moments after the whistle.


Park almost scored his second of the game when he met a knock down from a corner and struck a fierce shot on goal that Alan Martin did well to hang on to.


Ayr then had a period of sustained pressure but were guilty on more than one occasion of trying to walk the ball in to the back of the net. Plenty of those home fans sat around us were screaming for one of them just to take a bloody shot!


With just under half an hour to play Ayr were denied a second penalty. This one looked like another stone wall penalty as Trouten was clearly pushed in the back as he went for the ball. To the disgust of the home fans in the terracing behind the goal the referee waved play on.


Seventy five minutes in and Bobby Linn tries a speculative shot that curls past the post.


Michael Moffat then had a great long range effort from all of thirty five yards. The ball was headed clear from a corner by the East Fife defence but it was met on the half volley by Moffat and the away keeper had to make a very smart save down to his right.


In the final stages great work down the right wing by an Ayr player (couldn't see his number - editor's note: it was Andy Rodgers) who beats three players on his way to the goal line led before cutting the ball back to Trouten but his shot was deflected clear.


Inexcusably with only minutes remaining Emma phones me up on her mobile. Thinking something must have happened I answer in a flash. She asks "What are you up to?" and I have to reply "Only the same thing I've been doing for the past ten months or so at 4.30pm on a Saturday afternoon, watching football"'. She quickly gets the message and tells me she'll call back later. Good girl!


There is no more excitement on the pitch and the referee blows for full time. Ayr will look a this 2 points dropped and rightly so. They had plenty of chances, missed some easy opportunities including that penalty and will now be looking over their shoulder to see if Forfar have closed the gap on that fourth and final play off spot up for grabs in Division 2.


We thank Raymond for the tickets as we all walk back to our cars and I promise to get the blog up asap.


Well that's almost it. Only one ground left. Gayfield Park, Arbroath on Saturday 16th April.



The statistics:

Ticket: Adult £15, Concession £8

Programme: £2.00

Attendance: 976

Pie: £1.50

Pie marks: 6.5/10

Mileage: 163 miles

Final score: Ayr United 1 v East Fife 1


Man of the match: All - Alan Trouten (Ayr United)


Fascinating fact: In the 1927/8 season Ayr player, Jimmy Smith, set a British record which still stand today when he scored 66 goals in only 38 games to help his side win the Second Division Championship

Next & Final Game: (Arbroath)

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