Reid pledges to get tough on Ayr flops

Dec 5 2007 Ayrshire Post

FED UP Brian Reid promised to plunder the January sales after watching Ayr flounder in a Somerset Park horror show.

And he warned under achieving flops they are heading for the exit door unless they buck up their ideas.

Reid admitted he was left speechless after three second-half goals swept an ordinary looking Cowdenbeath to a runaway romp. Only the bar denied Pat Clarke a deserved fifth while Murray Henderson hacked another effort off the line.

This was calamitous defending at his very worst and Reid must quickly weed out the dross and stamp his own mark to prevent the club spiralling into a relegation dog fight.

The fledgling manager hit out: "That performance is not good enough for Ayr United. It was embarrassing the way we capitulated in the second-half. My job is to come here and change it and I will certainly do that, I won't just throw in the towel.

"I would have been looking to bring in players during the January transfer window anyway and if they don't raise performances, it could be a few more than I thought."

Yet again, Reid pointed the finger at his defence who once more were found wanting at set pieces and handling routine balls into the box. He claimed: "It's basic errors again and if you look at the goals in the last few weeks, it's schoolboy stuff like defending at corners and free-kicks.

“Every goal we give away is cheap and to lose four at home is not acceptable. I cannot watch that performance and wouldn't expect the Ayr fans to want to see that every week. It's up to the players now to get a reaction from that and show they are good enough to play here because that was unacceptable for Ayr United,

"It cannot go on. We can't keep losing goals like that but although we have decent defenders and big lads, it is set pieces that seem to be killing us.

"It is now up to the players to raise their performances or others will need to come in."

There was no hint of the torment that lay ahead as Ayr started brightly. Ryan Stevenson raked a 35 yard free-kick just wide before Alex Williams showed the way in 21 minutes. A corner from Ryan Baldacchino was cleared only to Paul Weaver who lobbed the ball over the defence for Williams to slam home his 11th goal in 15 starts.

However, it was all square eight minutes later when Pat Scullion was left free to bullet in a header from a Mark Ramsay cross.

Ayr tried to respond. Chris Robertson had a header tipped round the post, Williams fired just wide while a David Lowing 30 yarder crashed off the upright.

But Cowden showed Ayr the way with a second-half goal blitz. Dougie Hill nodded home a Scullion free-kick while Ramsay added a third after Mark McGeown only parried from David Armstrong.

Ayr then had Mark Casey dismissed for two yellow cards and within a minute, John Armstrong fired in an 18 yarder for number four.

Cowden had the scent of blood and it took the combined efforts of Henderson and the woodwork to prevent Martin McBride and Clarke adding two more.

STAR MEN: ***Alex Williams; **Paul Weaver; *Ryan Stevenson.

AYR: McGeown; Forrest, Henderson, Robertson, Lowing; Stevenson, Casey, Weaver, Baldacchino (Dunn 44); Moore (Wardlaw 65), Williams. Unused subs: Stewart, Pettigrew; Booked: Casey, Williams; Sent off: Casey.

COWDENBEATH: Hay; Scullion (McBride 82), Adamson; Hannah, J. Armstrong, Hill; Ramsay, Gilfillan, McConalogue (Hpwat 75), D. Armstrong (O'Neil 78), Clarke. Unused subs: Allison, Dalziel.

Referee: David Somers; Crowd: 1014.