A League Ball Has Yet To Be Kicked

Aug 1 2008

Voice Of Reason

A LEAGUE ball has yet to be kicked in anger – yet the unrest has begun.

Sunday’s shocker at East Stirling has the masses in a lather. And the doom merchants are loving their banter.

But hold on one cotton picking minute. Cliché time ahoy – football is a game of fine lines.

Had Ryan Borris buried his chance at 1-0, we’d have coasted home with cigars well and truly lit.

He didn’t, and in the end we got our deckchairs smashed over our heads in the last five minutes.

Schoolboy stuff, but a valuable lesson learned. And the best part? The league column reads zero games played.

However, one thing blatantly clear from the Ochilview antics was our problem area in midfield.

As the VoR said last week, this attempt to play Chris Aitken and Dean Keenan in the middle with Ryan Stevenson out wide just ain’t going to cut it.

We’re as imbalanced as a dinghy with Ric Waller on starboard. Luckily, there’s enough time to correct the fault.

SPEAKING of Ochilview, a word of praise must go to the Ayr support.

A travelling army so large in size that another part of the ground had to be opened as an overspill.

Tremendous stuff. Fans poured around pitchside in scenes that brought a tear to the eye.

Pity they didn’t get the result to match – but once again the potential of this club was on show for all to see.

CONGRATULATIONS are due to Davie Harkness in the aftermath of his testimonial on Monday night.

But the VoR shoots from the lip and here’s the deal. Harko deserved better than an Ayr trialists v Rangers under-19 game to honour his 30 years of service.

He was the victim of a bad set of circumstances, but the veteran pitch forker still commands more respect in my book.

Everything was questionable, from the team line-ups to the cops’ decision to make it all ticket and send in the mounted branch.

But a word for club lottery chief Andrew Downie who stuck it out to the end and worked his backside off for Davie’s cause.

And Harko, complete in suit, was smiling come the end of the night. Result.

TO the high seas where trouble has been brewing with our lovely rivals from Methil.

The VoR speaks of East Fife, whose players had a food fight on a boat back from Larne and decided to pass themselves off as Ayr players. Allegedly, of course.

The offending cuisine was chicken curry and potatoes. Things have been suitably spiced up by a trading of verbal insults between the two clubs ever since.

Now it’s stormy waters ahead of our first trip to Fife in September. Poppadoms at the ready.

THE VoR vs Dougie Morton charity challenge gets underway this week.

Ayr United’s vastly experienced lottery man (pictured right) is starting with an ambitious punt on East Fife 1, Peterhead 2.

But if you want to steer clear of that nonsense, the VoR will see you right with QOS 2, Airdrie 0.

Two points are awarded for a correct score, and one for the result.

The lottery are putting up £250 to the winner’s chosen charity at the end of the season. Good effort lads.