Bumper dinner will mark Ayr United centenary

May 7 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

ONE hundred years old and ready for the mother of all birthday parties.

Ayr United may have been relegated to the Second Division on the last day of the season.

But that won’t stop supporters from celebrating their long history in style.

A bumper 650 fans, some from China, Singapore, Australia and America, will flock to a sell-out centenary dinner in the Ayrshire suite at Ayr Racecourse onSaturday night.

It will be easily the biggest social event since the club was formed at a meeting in Nile Court in May, 1910.

Guest speakers will be former Scotland boss and now Motherwell manager Craig Brown and retired top referee Willie Young.

There will be specially made video presentations from some of the biggest names in football such as Rafa Benitez, Stevie Nicol, Roy Hodgson, Davie Moyes and Owen Coyle.

Old heroes Dick Malone and Rikki Fleming will take their place with other United greats in the club’s Hall of Fame. They will join Ally MacLeod, Peter Price, IanMcAllister, John Murphy, Sam McMillan, Henry Templeton, Alex ‘Sanny’ McAnespie, AlexIngram and Davie Stewart, who have previously been inducted.

The club’s pre-1950 Hall of Fame XI will also be revealed, bringing back top memories galore for older fans.

Supporters will get the chance to mingle with some of the stars of yesteryear with a host of former big namesattending.

The band The Simple Touch will play as the clock strikes midnight to bring in the 100th anniversary of the club’s beginning, formed with a merger of Ayr FC and Ayr Parkhouse.

Proceeds from the event auction will go to the Ayr United Football Academy to help them continue to produce the stars of the next 100 years.