Ayr United man out to make his Mark

Feb 6 2009

MARK ROBERTS insists it's great to be an Honest Man and says he has no problems at crossing the great Ayrshire divide.

And the former Killie striker has pledged to help Ayr to the title and believes the players are in place to win it.

Roberts, 33, blew two chances on his debut against the league leaders and admits some fans will be casting up his Rugby Park past. But he says they have no cause to be concerned.

He revealed: "I was at Kilmarnock for nine years but I was never a Kilmarnock fan so that's a thing that doesn't play on my mind. However, I know a lot of people are going to think that so it would have been better to get a goal today but these things happen.

"Winning things with anybody is great. I won the play-offs with Partick and was promoted with Kilmarnock. These is nothing better than winning and it doesn't matter what team you are with.

"It's the first time I have been called an Honest Man and it feels good. I just wish I had scored and it would have made things a lot easier for me but I am sure the goals will come."

Roberts revealed he could have stayed in the First Division after being freed by Partick Thistle. He said: "I had other offers but I thought Ayr was the better place to play. It's a hard division but I think we can win it with the players we have."

Ayr's recast defence, which badly missed the injured Martyn Campbell, was at sixes and sevens in a horror start. They watched Mark Campbell bury a free header from a Robert Sloan corner and could do nothing to stop Mark Ferry slamming home a Craig Wilson cross. All inside nine minutes.

There was a slice of luck when Ayr got one back in 30 minutes with Ryan Stevenson's shot taking a wicked deflection off skipper Iain Davidson to leave keeper David McGurn without a prayer.

The goal ignited the crowd and Ayr powered forward in the second-half. Roberts had two close-in shots saved and then got in the way of a Stevenson rocket which was screaming for the net.

But the goal came in 71 minutes. Roberts released Ryan Borris down the right and his cross was headed home at the back post by Scott Agnew.

A shocked Agnew confessed: "I've never scored with a header before and I'm not sure if I'll get one again. I burst a gut to get to the back post because it was a great cross from Ryan. Normally I don't get a chance to get in a header, not being the biggest, but I got myself a couple of yards clear space. We were finishing strongly and could have won it."

Boss Brian Reid admitted he would have settled for a point after the nightmare start. He said: "We didn't come out the traps but I had a few words at half-time and now I'm frustrated we didn't win after creating loads of chances into a strong wind in the second-half.

"Mark Roberts had a good game. He had a couple of chances that on another day he would have put away but his overall play was good."

STAR MEN: ***Scott Agnew; **Ryan Borris; *Dean Keenan.

AYR - Grindlay; Connolly, Walker, McGowan, Dempsie; Borris, Keenan, Stevenson, Agnew; Roberts (Gormley 82), Williams. Unused subs: Stewart, Aitken, Woodburn, Henderson. Booked: Williams, Keenan.

RAITH - McGurn; Wilson, Campbell, Lumsden, Ellis (Cook 56); Sloan, Simmons, Davidson, Ferry; Smith (Wardlaw 74), Weir (Bryce 88). Unused subs: O'Connor, Walker. Booked: Simmons, Smith.

Referee - Bobby Madden; Crowd - 2368.