Ayr United ordered off Dam Park

Nov 21 2008 by Mike Wilson

AYR boss Brian Reid fears his team’s title drive could be spiked after being ordered off Dam Park.

And this week, he appealed to council chiefs: “Please have a re-think.”

United have been training at Dam Park on Monday evenings since early this season. But now they have been told to stay away because the pitch is tearing up.

But Reid, who has led third top Ayr to within three points of the league summit, disputes this and says the loss of key training facilities is a hammer blow.

He said: “To say I am disappointed is an understatement. No way have we been abusing the park and always work rigidly with what the groundsman tells us.

“This is such an important time of the year for us and it is vital to get settled training facilities. Dam Park was ideal for us and I just hope the council can resurrect it.”

United were forced to do some jogging round the Somerset Park track on Monday and did some ball work at Pro Soccer. But Reid is adamant he wants to protect Somerset and has even turned down training games there.

He added: “I don’t want to do anything to upset the way the team is going. We train at Petershill on Wednesdays but it’s not practical to use astroturf twice a week as that can affect players with knee problems.

“It’s so frustrating that Dam Park is right on our doorstep and yet we can’t use it.”

A spokesperson for South Ayrshire Council said: “We have explained to the club that the wear and tear experienced on the playing surface at Dam Park during football training sessions is immense and causes far more damage than playing a football game on the grass.

“This damage reduces the availability of the park for other people and we took the needs of others into consideration when making this decision.

“We have a good working relationship with Ayr United and have been in touch with them offering alternative training facilities on the pitches at Whitletts and at Carrick Academy.

“The club have told us they would be making their own arrangements.”

Meanwhile, skipper Chris Aitken is struggling to make Saturday’s visit of East Fife after coming off with a calf strain five minutes into Saturday’s 3-0 win over Queen’s Park.

Ayr want to avenge a 3-0 defeat by the Fifers in September and are on a roll with nine goals scored in the last three wins. And in 12 goal Bryan Prunty, they have the country’s joint top marksman alongside Kris Boyd of Rangers.

Reid said: “Bryan is in excellent form as is David Gormley and it says everything that they are keeping out the team Alex Williams who scored 20 goals last season.”

With the top two, Raith and Brechin, meeting head-on, Ayr have a great chance to further tighten the top of the table if they beat East Fife.

Ayr will travel to play Rutherglen Glencairn in a friendly next Monday as preparation for their Scottish Cup tie against junior side Lochee United a week on Saturday.

A bus is leaving the River Cottage at 11am for the Lochee game. Contact Danny Robson (tel: 07905 130765).