It was Ayrshire Derby weekend in the Performance Tier with newcomers to that enhanced tier of Scottish youth Soccer, Ayr United taking on their county neighbours Kilmarnock in a series of matches over Saturday and Sunday with age groups ranging from 11s to 15s.
15s
Ayr made the short trip to Grange Academy
to take on Kilmarnock in the Ayrshire derby and it was Ayr who were first to
test the Killie keeper after 5 minutes when Craig McGuffie got a 25 yard free
kick on target. After 10 minutes Jai Holland put Ayr in front with a superbly
drilled free kick that flew into the bottom left hand corner of the Killie net.
However Killie was awarded a soft penalty
in the 25th minute when a cross was drilled in and hit the defenders arm which
was down at the side of his body. Some you get and some you don't and on this
occasion the referee went with the shouts from the home support and the spot
kick was given. The penalty was well taken to square the game and five minutes
later Killie took the lead when their big centre half headed home at the back
post from a well delivered corner. The first period drew to a close with Ayr
behind after having started so brightly but still well in the match.
Killie rang the changes at half time with
five substitutions. Killie's no 9 & 10 certainly freshened their team up
and started to link well, the no 10 missed a great chance when one on one with
the Ayr keeper after being played through by the no 9. The Killie no 9 then capitalised
on a short back pass to stretch the lead for the home side and this was quickly
followed when the no 10 then curled a beauty into the top corner. The final goal of the game again came for the
home side when a break down the right hand side was followed by a great cross
and smart finish. However Ayr continued
to go forward and a good move resulted in Ethan Tasker shooting just over the
top after he had overlapped from left back.
The referee blew to end a typical derby
game with Killie taking the spoils. There wasn’t as much football on the deck
from Ayr today as there has been in recent weeks and they got caught up in the
“hurly burly” of the game against the more physically developed Killie side.
Only in the last 10 to 15 minutes did Ayr start to play their normal passing game
as the pace of the game tailed off. However
there is no time to fret on the result today as Rangers are next week’s callers
to Prestwick and hopefully the injuries picked up by Callum Smith and Ross
Thomson over the last couple of games will have cleared in time for them to
take part.
14s
The Ayr boys looked very smart in their new
all white strips as they entertained Kilmarnock in the Ayrshire derby but it
was Killie that were the brightest in the first period. They moved the ball
very well in the final third and created several chances which were clinically
finished. Keeper Greg Connor was given little chance with the Killie goals but
did well to save a penalty midway through the period.
The second period was very even with Ayr
just shading it. Ayr’s defence tightened up and restricted Killie to only a
couple of chances.
The third period was dominated by Ayr with
Kieran Balfour and Will Graham driving Ayr forward from the centre of midfield.
Dylan Robb was also having a good game at left back and got forward on numerous
occasions to thread passes through to the strikers. Ayr were rewarded with
three well taken goals in this period.
The first was scored by Jamie Martin when
he received a pass at the corner of the box and cut in before sending a curling
left foot shot into the corner of the net.
Soon afterwards Ayr scored their second
when a corner wasn’t cleared and Graeme Swailes reacted quickest to smash the
ball into the net. Ayr’s third goal wasn’t long in coming with Thomas Dunlop
receiving a pass in the box, making space for himself before shooting past the
Killie keeper.
Ayr continued to drive Killie back but
weren’t able to convert any of their further chances into goals.
Coach Jack Martin commented after the game:
“Once Ayr tightened up at the back and cut out the needless mistakes, we went
on to dominate the rest of the match. We were pleased with the three goals and
the fact that the team finished strongly.”
13s
The Academy 13s went onto the pitch excited
about playing in their first Ayrshire derby and the opening period started at a
very high tempo with Ayr controlling the play and going close when Gabe Skeoch
tested the young Killie goalkeeper.
The possession from Ayr throughout the
first period was good but a short corner from Kilmarnock provided Ayr's
downfall when the visitors scored.
However that didn't stop Ayr from making sure they let the opposition
know they were in a match.
The second period didn’t start quite as
well as the first but again this didn't stop Ayr from competing for every 50/50
ball. Unfortunately an injury to Scott Wilson proved pivotal as a lack of
players on the bench for Ayr meant they had to dig deep to give 110%.
The third period started with a change
of formation to a 4-3-3 for Ayr and this proved good for the home side as it
forced the opposition into defending a lot more and didn't allow them the space
which they had found in the second period. Ayr found themselves in the final
third more often and were agonisingly close to scoring. The team showed good
courage to adapt to the new formation and showed that they give 110% every
week.
12s
Ayr United 12s entertained Kilmarnock
12s at Belmont Academy on Saturday afternoon and the boys were very excited
about playing their local rivals. All the players were up for the challenge and
they were cheered on by a great support.
However both Ayr teams started slowly
and conceded a couple of goals and it looked like the Kilmarnock players had
settled more quickly into the match.
However once the nerves and excitement
settled the Ayr players started to relax and take a grip in both matches. Ayr
went back to basics by putting pressure on the Kilmarnock players when they
were in possession of the ball and when the Ayr players won the ball back they
showed great build-up play and created some great chances for themselves.
For all their hard work the Ayr players
were rewarded with some goals. The goals didn’t stop and throughout both
matches the players scored some cracking goals. Some of the goal scorers were,
Adam Smith, Aiden Bradford, Declan McAulay, Tyler McAulay, James Maxwell,
Robert Frew, Hamish Brown and Reece McLean.
The goals were coming thick and fast
but this also came down to the great defending by some of the Ayr players
namely Callum Bryce, Hamish Brown, Ross Love, Joe Barker, Lewis Kennedy, Adam
Smith and Adam Mahoney. A special mention has to go to both Ayr goalkeepers
(Logan Pipe and Jamie Walker) who were outstanding throughout both games they
played. Not only did both goalkeepers stop the majority of shots coming at them
but they also helped set up the play and both looked very controlled and
comfortable on the ball.
Jordan Lusk and Declan McAulay were
influential throughout both games but particularly in their last match. Both of
their performances were very unselfish as they created opportunities for their
team mates throughout the match. With their control on the game this allowed
all the players to start to show their ability. Robbie Hannah and Callum Bryce
were also another two players who worked hard throughout the matches and this
had a knock on affect to the other players.
A special mention has to go to
Kilmarnock. They played some great football and made the game really enjoyable
and challenging. They were also rewarded with some goals. The crowd they
brought along to the game were great and would have left happy having watched
some great football.
After the games Ayr Coach Shaun Ferrie
Said “Myself, Drew and Michael were very proud of the way the boys played
today. The effort that was shown by all players was fantastic and to see the
players coming away from the games looking tired and out of breath was proof in
how hard they worked. I was concerned that some of the players would have got
taken in by the occasion as this is always a big game for Ayr United no matter
what level it is been played at. Sometimes big occasions can affect players.
This was not the case and in some way it brought out the best in some of the
Ayr United players. I also thought it was great to see some familiar faces in
the Kilmarnock team as well. The majority of players playing in the Ayr and Kilmarnock
teams were from South, North and East Ayrshire which was great to see and shows
that Ayrshire has some great talented footballers out there. I can take a lot
away from Saturday’s game and will be making sure the players keep improving.”
11s
While the national news headlines were
dominated by the up and coming Manchester United v Liverpool derby match in the
Barclays Premier League, it was of no interest to anyone on the West coast of
Scotland. There was only one game in
town…the AYRSHIRE DERBY!
A great crowd turned out to watch the
boys on a gloriously sunny day at Belmont Academy on Saturday for the first
Ayrshire Derby of the season. It had
been the talk of the week in the schools and at training and the boys was
relishing the fixture. Once again the
boys were split into two teams for two 40 minute games.
Jason’s team started off with a great
tempo and got the ball down to play some neat passing football putting pressure
on the Kilmarnock defence. The pressure
finally told with Paul Smith forcing the defence into a mistake and he put Ayr
ahead with a great finish. Ayr’s lead was soon doubled with yet another
stunning Paul Smith strike. Paul picked
the ball up in midfield, breezed past two defenders and fired the ball into the
top corner. Paul was having an absolute blinder and as a corner came in he
tried an outrageous overhead kick that narrowly went wide.
However, careless passing from Ayr let
Kilmarnock score against the run of play and they finished the half the
stronger team. Kilmarnock started the
second half where they left off putting Ayr under pressure and they scored two
further goals to take the lead. At this stage only another great performance
from Lewis McSorley in goal and a goal-line clearance from Daniel Wood kept Ayr
in the game. The game was set for an
exciting finish and the crowd got what they wanted with a late Kaylem Ferguson
goal that earned Ayr a draw. There were
stand out performances from Paul Smith, Lewis McSorley in goal and, in
particular Kaylem in the centre of midfield.
The second game was a more tired
performance against a strong Kilmarnock team that resulted in a defeat. However a great performance from Lewis in
goal with some outstanding saves and a couple of late goals made the score-line
respectable.
Ross’ team first game was more of the
same as they got off to a slow start with a goal from Lewis Dean the only
consolation. The second game however,
was an absolute cracker. Ayr started well with some good passing moves creating
chances and forcing saves from the Kilmarnock keeper. After Ayr had gone in front they were pegged
back and eventually conceded after some good play by Kilmarnock. With the game
tied and the clock ticking down up stepped Jay McManus to score a late winner
for Ayr in front of an ecstatic home crowd and gave Ayr a well-deserved
victory.
Overall, the coaching team was very
happy with the performances, with some good football being played and chances
created. At this level the performance
is more important that results but to get both was very pleasing. There is still a long way to go but the team
are progressing every week and are on the right track.
You can follow Marc on Twitter @myscottishfitba
