Short-handed Ayr United may have to draft in trialists

Aug 6 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

DESPERATE Ayr United may have to draft in trialists to make up numbers for Saturday’s league opener.

Boss Brian Reid has fired a watch your discipline warning after the club were fined £2,000 by the SFA for last season’s soaring crime count.

Skipper Mark Roberts, Andy Rodgers and Willie Easton are all banned for the visit of Brechin while injured duo Bobby Donnelly and on-loan Hibs teenager Scott Taggart are struggling to be fit.

Reid fears he won’t have enough senior players for his starting eleven and will have to turn to trialists.

The gloomy forecast comes after Ayr crashed from the Co-op Cup, beaten 3-2 by Third Division strugglers Elgin City.

Teenager Jonathan Tiffoney was sent off after 38 minutes for two yellow cards, leaving Ayr to see out the tie, which went to extra-time, with only ten men.

But Tiffoney, who has looked one of the club’s brightest prospects, is available for Saturday. His ban will be served in next season’s Co-op Cup.

Ayr’s horror discipline record saw them cop 92 yellow and four red cards last season, the worst in the First Division.

And they have had three sent off this season before a ball has even been kicked in the league.

Reid said: “I have had strong words with the players about discipline and it is clearly something we must watch.

“The game is in danger of becoming a non contact sport and means you can’t tackle. Players have to learn to adapt to that. With such a small squad, we can’t afford to have players suspended.

“Tiffoney made only three tackles at Elgin and got booked for two of them. I don’t think there was a bad tackle in the game.

“In Jonathan’s case, he was naive to dive in. You can’t afford to dive in and hopefully he will have learned his lesson.”

Reid has spoken to the board about bolstering his squad but accepts it’s all about affordability.

He said: “We have only 15 experienced players and two are keepers. Aaron Connolly, Ross Robertson, Roddy Paterson and Tiffoney have done well and are pushing.

“We have others in the under 17 and under 19 teams but it’s a big gamble to throw them in.

“I don’t think our squad is big enough to see us through the season especially when we will face teams like Alloa and Livingston.”

On loan St Johnstone teenager Stephen Reynolds may be Ayr’s only recognised striker for the visit of Brechin who have started the season well.

Roberts is out for one game while Rodgers, who pulled his hamstring at Elgin, is banned for two.

Latest recruit Taggart, who was the Hibs academy’s young player of last season, was barely on as a sub before he was taken off with what was feared to be ankle ligament damage.

But the injury is not as bad as first thought. He worked with the Easter Road physio on Monday and is now rated 50:50 for Saturday.

Reid said: “We have Scott on loan until January. He is predominantly a right-back but can also play centre-half or midfield.”

Another new face is 20-year-old former Morton keeper Ryan McWilliams who was loaned last season to beaten Scottish Junior Cup finalists Largs Thistle.

Reid said: “Ryan impressed at training, has a good attitude and is a nice lad.”

Dean Keenan returns from suspension to face Brechin whose main threat comes from towering striker Rory McAllister.

Reid said: “It will be a tough start but we have to get back to winning ways and recapture our home form.

“Even playing for so long with ten men at Elgin, I felt we were capable of winning but individual mistakes cost us goals.”

McBookie.com make Ayr 11/10 to beat Brechin who are 9/5 with the draw 5/2.

Ayr host First Division new boys Cowdenbeath in the second round of the Alba Cup on Tuesday at 7.45pm.