Pic: D. Sargent
By Paul Cardow - Having been a season ticket holder at Somerset Park for over 20 years I’ve been used to lots of downs and downs with the occasional up.
Promotions, relegations, cup runs, giant-killings and cup finals kept things interesting. Then relegation to the 2nd Division five years ago has left us with slim pickings and the support has dwindled away to the real hard core fans.
The play-off final against Airdrie could be one of the biggest ups for Ayr United over the last 20 years. The chance to get promoted to the 1st Division, where we feel we should be at the very least, after an amazing season which has seen us run eventual Champions Raith Rovers right to the wire, would be fantastic.
The chance to relegate Airdrie at the same time would make it even sweeter as the clubs have had a terse relationship ever since Airdrie fans invaded the pitch at Somerset and left their indelible mark a few season ago, which lead to Airdrieonians going bust before changing their name and becoming Clydebank.
After an astonishing season that has seen us go unbeaten at home (a record shared only with Liverpool FC), gain more points than any team out-with the Old Firm and Raith, score more goals than any team out-with the OF, win more away games than any team… well you know where I’m going.
We’re now just 180 minutes away from glory and the nerves are settling in among the Ayr support. The chance of getting out of a division that sucks the life out of teams of a certain size and re-entering the real world of opposition fans at Somerset, games with atmosphere against decent teams and the chance to settle a few old scores is so close we can almost feel it.
Lets not blow it; I can’t take much more of this division!
