Rocky Visconte backs Ayr United’s Aussie stars

Feb 26 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

DEBUT hero Rocky Visconte reckons going Down Under can help Ayr stay up.

And he believes his long friendship with his old school mate Ryan McGowan can be a trump card as United battle the drop.

The on-loan Hearts duo, who grew up together in Australia, are with Ayr until the end of the season.

Visconte lit up his first start as an Honest Man when he danced past two defenders to set up the match winner for Tam McManus at Dunfermline.

He revealed: "It was an enjoyable debut and a great start. My aim is to keep getting better and help Ayr climb the table.

"I've known Ryan since I was 11 or 12 and him being here has helped me settle in very quickly.

"We played against each other in Adelaide - he was playing for a team in the north while I played for one in the west. They were always great clashes between the two top teams in the city.

"From 14-16 we played for the same team before making the move to Hearts. It's weird how things work out that we are now both at Ayr but it's good having someone in the team you know and can be comfortable with.

"I've been here now for two weeks and it was Ryan who introduced me to all the boys and made it so much easier."

Visconte, 19, started only two first team games at Tynecastle, before joining Ayr as part of the deal that took Ryan Stevenson to the capital.

He revealed: "I am here to get game experience and at the same time to keep Ayr up. If I can do well here, and prove that I can get better, then hopefully I can get a regular spot at Hearts."

Reflecting on his East End Park goal, Visconte said: "I did well to get past a few defenders and put the ball across goal but I can't take all the credit.

"There was great work by all the lads. A lot of the time we didn't have the ball but we stuck in to get the result.

"We have got to build on this win. We have a lot of catch-up games and we need to climb the table as soon as possible to get Ayr out of relegation trouble."