Ayr United fans in ticket rush for Hibs cup tie

Dec 24 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

FOOTBALL starved Ayr fans, who have gone five weeks without a game, are snapping up tickets for the Scottish Cup trip to Hibs.

And boss Brian Reid reckons the January 8 tie might be the next time United play again as the big freeze continues.

Around 500 briefs had been sold by midweek but shop boss Ronnie McJannet expects a mad rush in the days leading up to the eagerly awaited tie.

He said: “We have an initial allocation of 1200 for the lower tier so I would urge fans to get theirs quickly. I would think there will be a last minute surge in the first week of January.”

The catalogue of games postponed allowed Reid to watch Hibs lose 2-1 to Kilmarnock last Saturday.

He said: “It was a worthwhile exercise. Hibs are a good team and will be bigfavourites but the game certainly gave me some ideas.”

Reid kept his frozen out squad in shape with games against Larkhall Thistle at Ravenscraig and Stranraer at Toryglen. But plans for a bounce match against Girvan at Greenwood Academy fell through.

The Boxing Day trip to Brechin is a certain non starter with Glebe Park frozen under eight inches of snow.

Warmer temperatures are set to arrive at the start of next week. But it will take a prolonged thaw to give the January 2 visit of Dumbarton a fighting chance.

With loan players Scott Taggart, Stephen Reynolds, Danny McKay and Stuart Bannigan set to return to their clubs, Reid knows he has to urgently bolster his squad.

Girvan striker Michael Moffat, whose contract expires in March, remains on the radar but there is much talking to be done to thrash out a deal.

Moffat caught the eye when he trained at Somerset in the summer but Ayr refused to pay the £5000 asking price.

Reid has spoken to interim Motherwell boss Gordon Young about keeping alive a loan move for central defender Shaun Hutchinson which was agreed before Craig Brown’s departure to Aberdeen.

lThe United club shop is open noon to 5pm on Wednesday, 9am to 2pm Thursday and 9am to 1pm on Friday. It will reopen after the break next Wednesday at noon.