Ayr United vow: We'll make you eat your words

Jan 16 2009 by Mike Wilson

DETERMINED Brian Reid has vowed to make Jim Jefferies eat his words in next Thursday’s Scottish Cup replay.

And he is threatening to pin the comments of the Killie boss on the dressing room wall before the live Sky TV shoot-out.

Jefferies claimed Ayr were still lucky to be in the cup after Saturday’s 2-2 draw and said Rugby Park’s better surface would suit his players in the second game.

But angry manager Reid hit back: “I don’t know what game Jim was at. I don’t want to get into a war of words but some of the excuses were laughable.

“We created four or five good chances, their first goal was offside, so we could have been 2-0 up if Scott Walker’s header had gone in.

“Reading his comments, there is no point in us turning up at Rugby Park which suits me fine. We know how well we played and it would have been a travesty if we had lost. This tie certainly isn’t dead.”

Reid revealed how he had used a letter from Afghanistan to inspire his players before Saturday’s Somerset cracker.

He said: “We also had emails from New Zealand, America and England. Part of my pre-match talk centred around a letter from a soldier in Afghanistan and how much the derby meant to him.

“The players took it to heart. They knew how important the game is to people. I thank the fans from all over the world for their support.”

The prize of a fifth round trip to Inverness on February 7 awaits the winners but Reid insists the cup must go on the back burner.

He said: “All I am focussing on now is Saturday’s trip to Stirling who gave us a double bonus by beating Raith last week. But that proves what a difficult place Stirling is to visit.”

Dean Keenan begins a two match league ban while Neil McGowan is suspended for the cup replay after being booked against Lochee and Killie.

With Ryan Borris still feeling an ankle knock, Reid has drafted in Kevin Ireland from the under 19s and is desperate to bolster his squad with a full-back the top priority.

A pool of only 18 could be further stretched as Ryan Stevenson, Allan Dempsie and McGowan are only a booking away from two game league bans.

He said: “I am working on bringing in players and thought I had a couple lined up but it fell through. However, I’ll keep trying as I think we are light in the right back area.”

With the cup replay put back to Thursday for Sky coverage, Ayr asked Arbroath to switch the league game at Somerset a week on Saturday to the Sunday.

Arbroath knocked back the request on Tuesday but Ayr have appealed to the SFL management committee.

Ayr United Academy fixtures for Sunday: 19s v Morton (2.30pm at Carrick Academy, (Maybole); 17s v Airdrie Utd (away).

lKilmarnock lost six of their last seven home games when they crashed 2-1 to Aberdeen on Tuesday evening.