Ayr United F.C.

Ayr United F.C.

Full name	Ayr United Football and Athletic Club Ltd.
Nickname(s)	The Honest Men
Founded	1910
Ground	Somerset Park (Capacity: 10,243 (1,597 seated))
Chairman	Lachlan Cameron
Manager	Brian Reid
League	Scottish First Division
2010–11	Scottish Second Division, 2nd (Promoted via play-offs)
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C. (the latter being a prior merger of Ayr Thistle and Ayr Academical in 1879), their nickname is "The Honest Men", taken from a line in the poem "Tam o' Shanter" by Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns. They play at Somerset Park.

The club have spent 34 seasons in Scotland's top division altogether, though the last was in the 1977–78 season. The club have been the champions of the second tier of Scottish football on six occasions and of the third tier twice, but have not won any national cup competitions. The club's most famous and most successful manager is Ally MacLeod, who went on to manage the Scottish national football team. Their current manager is former player Brian Reid.

History

See also: List of Ayr United F.C. seasons

Ayr United were founded in 1910 after the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr. Although Inverness Caledonian Thistle are also the product of a merger between two clubs, Ayr United are the only Scottish Football League club to have been formed from a merger of two existing league clubs.

The club's honours include winning six Second Division titles (as the second tier championship) and a further two such titles (as the third tier championship), most recently in 1996-97. They have not won any national cup competitions, although they were runners-up in the 2001–02 Scottish League Cup, and in the Scottish Challenge Cup in the first two seasons in which the competition was held: 1990–91 and 1991–92. They have won the local competition the Ayrshire Cup on 26 occasions, most commonly facing fierce local rivals Kilmarnock F.C. in the final. The Ayrshire Cup was last played for in season 1996-97, since when the competition has been suspended.

The club's record scorer in a single season is Jimmy Smith, who scored 66 goals for Ayr in only 38 league matches in 1927–28, which remains the British goalscoring record for a single season. The club's overall record scorer is Peter Price, who scored 213 times in competitive matches for the club between 1955 and 1962.

Former Scottish national team manager Ally MacLeod is regarded as the club's most famous and most successful manager. He led the club on three separate occasions spanning fifteen years, during which his teams recorded a record 214 wins, won two league titles and finished one point short of qualifying for European competition in 1973, when Macleod was also voted as Ayr's Citizen of the Year. More recent managers have also included the recent Scottish national team manager, George Burley, and former Scottish League Cup winner with Raith Rovers, Gordon Dalziel. Their current manager is Brian Reid.

Although the club has spent 34 seasons in Scotland's top division, they have played in the second and third tiers of Scottish senior football since the 1977-78 season. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the club established a record of defeating teams which played in higher leagues in cup competitions, including Hibernian, Dundee, Dundee United, Motherwell, Dunfermline Athletic and four consecutive wins in cup competitions against their fiercest rivals Kilmarnock.

In 1988, Ayr United fan and businessman Sir David Murray offered to buy the club but the club's shareholders rejected the bid by a vote of 60 to 56. The manager at that time, Ally MacLeod, had threatened to leave if Murray's bid had succeeded:^{[citation needed]} Murray went on to become Chairman of Rangers, which coincided with a period of financial growth and league success for that club. During much of the 1990s and 2000s, a period of relative success both in league and cup competitions, the Ayr United Chairman was local construction magnate Bill Barr. After Barr stood down, there were occasional boardroom struggles: the club suffered significant cashflow problems in 2004 although it survived with a combination of efforts. Prestwick-based Roy Kennedy failed to takeover the club in 2005, and his company Kennedy Construction went bankrupt in 2006.

On 24 May 2009, Ayr won the Scottish First Division Play-off against Airdrie United 3–2 on aggregate to win promotion to the First Division. For season 2009–10, to celebrate the club's centenary, Ayr United played in black and white hoops, the club's original black and white kit. The away kit was crimson and gold with blue shorts to reflect the original club colours. Ayr were relegated on the last day of the season after losing 2–1 to Morton. At the end of the 2010-11 season, Ayr United defeated Forfar Athletic 7–4 on aggregate in the First Division play-off semi final, to set up a final with Brechin City. In the first game at Somerset Park the match ended 1–1, however Ayr United won the second leg at Glebe Park 2–1, which promoted Ayr United to the First Division for the 2011-2012 season. Also, in the 2010-11 season, they knocked out Hibernian in the Scottish Cup, winning 1-0 at Somerset Park in a replay.

Early in the 2011-2012 season, Ayr have enjoyed success in the 2011–12 Scottish League Cup, beating SPL sides Inverness, Hearts and St. Mirren on their way to the semi-finals. Ayr United are now playing against Ayrshire derby rivals Kilmarnock in the semi-finals, the first time ever they will meet their local rivals at this stage in national cup competition.

Crest and colours

For a complete pictorial history of Ayr United playing kit, see the Historical Football Kits site.

Ayrshire coat of arms (1890–31) was used on playing kit between 1938–48.

The first Ayr United kit of Red and Gold was inherited from Ayr FC, one of the clubs in the merger (the other Ayr Parkhouse), was used from 1910 until 1914. Then it was replaced with Black and White which used until 1938, when navy blue now supported white as the colour on the playing kit. After only two years, War broke out, when it finished black was once again on the kits of Ayr United and blue wasn't to feature again until 1958. Black & White hoops featured again in the 1960s, and a the home colours remained white with black trimmings throughout the twentieth century. The Centenary Season saw the re-introduction of the traditional hooped shirt.

Original Red and Gold Ayr United Kit, inherited from Ayr FC.

First Black and White kit, used from 1914 to 1938 (With modifications).

Kit used from 1938 to the outbreak of World War II in 1940.

Used from after the War until 1958 (again with modifications).

Kit used in the 1970s when the club where in the SPL.

The 2010-11 kit, made by sportswear giants Nike.

Stadium

Main article: Somerset Park

Somerset Park
Somerset Park, looking onto the Somerset Road end
Location	Tryfield Place, Ayr, Scotland
Opened	1888
Owner	Ayr United F.C.
Surface	Grass
Architect	Robert Leich
Capacity	10,185 (1,597 seated)
Field dimensions	110 × 72 yd (100 × 66 m)
Tenants
Ayr F.C. (1888–1910) Ayr United F.C. (1910-present)

Ayr play their football at Somerset Park in Ayr's New Town. One of the few surviving traditional stadium designs, it consists of one stand, two covered terraces, and one open terrace. It has a capacity of 10,128. The first match to take place at Somerset Park was between the former Ayr F.C. and Aston Villa in a 3–0 victory for Ayr.

During the 1990s the club's chairman was Bill Barr, who owned and managed the company which built modern-style stadiums and stands for several other clubs around the UK. United also sought — and obtained — planning permission from South Ayrshire Council for a new 10,200 all-seated stadium at Heathfield in Ayr with an associated retail development. The Scottish Executive then "called in" the application and reversed the decision in respect of the retail development. Since the club considered this aspect of the proposal necessary to fund the construction, the development did not proceed.

In November 2006, United signed a contract with Barratt Homes for the sale of Somerset Park, having secured a 20-acre (81,000 m²) site in the Heathfield area of Ayr. The site would house a new GB£18 million stadium seating 7,650 as part of a "sports and business campus".

Sponsorship

Period	Sportswear	Home sponsor	Away sponsor
1977–78	Umbro	None
1979–80
1980–81
1981–83		Barr Construction
1983–84
1984–87
1987–88		Ayr Advertiser
1988–90	Bukta	Centrum
1990–91	Riberio
1991–92		Arrow
1992–93
1993–94		Sports Limited
1994–95	Core	What everyone Wants
1995–96	The Ayr United Collection
1996–97		Ayrshire Post
1997–98	Premier Marketing UK
1998–99		Barr Construction
1999-00	TFG Sports	Strachans Motors	Barr Construction
2000–01		Leader Newspaper	Barr Steel
2001–02		Aurigin
2002–03		Kerr & Smith	Iveco Daily
2003–04
2004–05		Kennedy Construction	Simply Purchasing
2005–06		The Home Bakery	Honest Men Trust
2006–07		The Events Company	Greig Lucas
2007–08	Lotto Sports	Rodie	Carrick Bathrooms
2008–09	Surridge Sports	Paligap
2009–10
2010–11	Nike
2011–12		Bodog

Players

First-team squad

As of 25 February 2012

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Kevin Cuthbert GK Ryan McWilliams DF Gareth Armstrong DF Martyn Campbell DF Iain Fisher DF Eddie Malone DF John Robertson DF Ross Robertson DF Chris Smith MF Adam Dodd (on loan from Blackpool) MF Andy Geggan MF Sean Kelly MF Michael McGowan

No. Position Player MF Jamie McKernon (on loan from St. Mirren) MF Jonathan Tiffoney MF Liam Tomsett (on loan from Blackpool) MF Alan Trouten FW Marc Dyer (on loan from Rangers) FW Sean Higgins (on loan from St. Johnstone) MF Keigan Parker FW Michael Moffat FW Dale Moore FW Roddy Patterson FW Mark Roberts FW Gareth Wardlaw

Club officials

Ayr United Football Club

• Chairman: Lachlan Cameron
• Manager: Brian Reid

Managerial history

Dates	Name	Notes
1910–14	Committee
1914–15	Herbert Dainty	Ayr United's first manager
1915–18	Lawrence Gemson
1918–19	John Cameron
1919–23	James McDonald
1923–24	Jimmy Richardson
1924–26	Jimmy Hay
1926–31	Archie Buchanan
1931–35	Alex Gibson
1935–40	Frank Thompson
1945–48	Bob Ferrier
1949–53	Archie Anderson
1953–55	Reuben Bennett
1955–56	Neil McBain
1956–61	Jackie Cox
1961	Bobby Flavell
1961–62	Gerry Mays
1962–63	Neil McBain
1963–64	Bobby Flavell
1964–66	Tom McCreath
1966–75	Ally MacLeod
1975–78	Alex Stuart
1978	Ally MacLeod
1979–83	Willie McLean
1983–85	George Caldwell
1985–90	Ally MacLeod
1991–93	George Burley
1993–95	Simon Stainrod
1995-02	Gordon Dalziel
2002–04	Campbell Money
2004–05	Mark Shanks
2005–07	Bobby Connor
2007	Neil Watt
2007–present	Brian Reid

Honours

Domestic

League

• Scottish Second Tier
  • Winners (6): 1911–12, 1912–13, 1927–28, 1936–37, 1958–59, 1965–66
  • Runners Up (4): 1910–11, 1955–56, 1968–69, 2000–01
• Scottish Third Tier
  • Winners (2): 1987–88, 1996–97
  • Runners Up (2): 2008–09, 2010–11

Cups

• Scottish Cup
  • Semi-Finalists (3): 1972–73, 1999–00, 2001–02
• Scottish League Cup
  • Runners Up (1): 2001–02
  • Semi-Finalists (4): 1950–51, 1969–70, 1980–81, 2011–12
• Scottish Challenge Cup
  • Runners Up (2): 1990–91, 1991–92
  • Semi-Finalists (2): 1993–94, 2007–08

Regional

• Ayrshire Cup
  • Winners (26): 1911/12, 1925/26, 1928/29, 1932/33, 1935/36, 1937/38, 1938/39, 1949/50, 1957/58, 1958/59, 1960/61, 1964/65, 1968/69, 1969/70, 1970/71, 1974/75, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1977/78, 1979/80, 1985/86, 1987/88, 1988/89, 1990/91, 1994/95, 1996/97
• Ayr Charity Cup
  • Winners (17): 1911/12, 1912/13, 1913/14, 1914/15, 1915/16, 1918/19, 1920/21, 1923/24, 1925/26, 1926/27, 1928/29, 1929/30, 1930/31, 1931/32, 1935/36, 1937/38, 1951/52
• Kilmarnock Charity Cup
  • Winners (4): 1930/31, 1932/33, 1935/36, 1936/37

Records

Club

Record home attendance

25,225 vs Rangers, 13 September 1969 in Scottish League Division One

Record attendance in a match involving Ayr United

51,158 vs Rangers, 4 April 1973, Scottish Cup semi-final, at Hampden Park

Lowest home attendance

106 vs Girvan, 1 May 1991 in the Ayrshire Cup

Lowest away attendance

192 vs Deveronvale, 28 November 2009, in the Scottish Cup

Record victory

11–1 vs Dumbarton, 13 August 1952

Record defeat

0-9 vs Rangers, 16 November 1929
0-9 vs Heart of Midlothian, 28 February 1931
0-9 vs Third Lanark, 4 December 1931

Record appearances

John Murphy (597 apps), between 1963–1978

Record goalscorer

Peter Price, (213 goals in 251 apps) between 1955–1962

Most Goals in a single season

Jimmy Smith, (66 goals in 38 apps) in the 1927–28 Season

Most International Appearances (While playing for Ayr)

James Nisbet for Scotland (3) vs Norway, Germany and The Netherlands in 1929.

Individual

All players are from Scotland unless otherwise stated.

Top goalscorers

Rank	Name	Career	Apps	Goals	Average
1	Peter Price	1955–1962	251	213	0.85

Most appearances

Rank	Name	Career	Apps	Goals
1	John Murphy	1963–1978	597

External links

• The Official Club Website
• Aerial photo of Ayr United F.C.. Other map and aerial photo sources.
• Ayr United fan website & discussion forum
• Ayr United History website
• The Honest Men Trust website