HD Posted April 17, 2004 Author Share Posted April 17, 2004 ...Division One is Upside down, We're going up with the Brechin, And Inverness are going down. That's to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In" by the way. Been a bad day for Ayr fans. Defeat at St Mirren (4-1) means we'll almost certainly be relegated to the Second Division this time. Reflecting on my Ayr research it seems I overestimated a few players, so I've gone back and revised some numbers. Here are the runners and riders CA & PA (taking the value 90 to represent a good First Division player): <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Player Pos Age CA PA Aaron Black SW/D C 19 50 70 Graeme Brown S C 22 63 91 Robert Burgess D C 18 20 50 Mark Campbell D C 25 41 50 Scott Chaplain M C 19 35 55 Chris Clark D RL 18 11 30 Craig Clark F RC 19 11 20 Craig Conway F RC 18 21 45 David Craig D C 34 48 60 Stephen Crawford M LC 16 22 25 Jamie Doyle AM C 18 51 60 Mick Dunlop D/DM LC 20 50 55 Andy Ferguson S C 18 51 60 Steve Ferguson M C 26 50 55 Iain Fulton D RLC 18 20 20 Lee Hardy AM L 21 54 65 John Hillcoat GK 32 40 40 Roddy Hunter DM RC 18 31 35 Darren Johnson GK 17 31 40 Gerard Joyce SW/D C 19 27 28 Stewart Kean S C 20 40 60 Daniel Kerr S C 18 10 15 James Latta AM RC 18 26 35 Willie Lyle D/DM R 19 45 55 Mark McColl F RC 18 35 45 Stuart McGrady DM/F RL 18 35 50 Steven Miller M RC 19 61 70 Boyd Mullen AM RC 17 20 25 Dougie Ramsay M RC 24 51 60 Ludo Roy GK 25 90 100 Marc Smyth D/DM RC 20 40 50 Jordan Tait D/F RC 23 51 55 Paul Templeton M C 17 22 25 </pre> I believe these ratings more accurately represent the current ability of the Ayr United squad and will now proceed to try and keep them in the division, limiting myself to the 3-5-2, 3-5-2 sweeper and 4-4-2 formations used by Ayr this season in real life. This may also give you a sneak preview of how it will be to manage Ayr in Football Manager when it is released! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 ...Division One is Upside down, We're going up with the Brechin, And Inverness are going down. That's to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching In" by the way. Been a bad day for Ayr fans. Defeat at St Mirren (4-1) means we'll almost certainly be relegated to the Second Division this time. Reflecting on my Ayr research it seems I overestimated a few players, so I've gone back and revised some numbers. Here are the runners and riders CA & PA (taking the value 90 to represent a good First Division player): <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Player Pos Age CA PA Aaron Black SW/D C 19 50 70 Graeme Brown S C 22 63 91 Robert Burgess D C 18 20 50 Mark Campbell D C 25 41 50 Scott Chaplain M C 19 35 55 Chris Clark D RL 18 11 30 Craig Clark F RC 19 11 20 Craig Conway F RC 18 21 45 David Craig D C 34 48 60 Stephen Crawford M LC 16 22 25 Jamie Doyle AM C 18 51 60 Mick Dunlop D/DM LC 20 50 55 Andy Ferguson S C 18 51 60 Steve Ferguson M C 26 50 55 Iain Fulton D RLC 18 20 20 Lee Hardy AM L 21 54 65 John Hillcoat GK 32 40 40 Roddy Hunter DM RC 18 31 35 Darren Johnson GK 17 31 40 Gerard Joyce SW/D C 19 27 28 Stewart Kean S C 20 40 60 Daniel Kerr S C 18 10 15 James Latta AM RC 18 26 35 Willie Lyle D/DM R 19 45 55 Mark McColl F RC 18 35 45 Stuart McGrady DM/F RL 18 35 50 Steven Miller M RC 19 61 70 Boyd Mullen AM RC 17 20 25 Dougie Ramsay M RC 24 51 60 Ludo Roy GK 25 90 100 Marc Smyth D/DM RC 20 40 50 Jordan Tait D/F RC 23 51 55 Paul Templeton M C 17 22 25 </pre> I believe these ratings more accurately represent the current ability of the Ayr United squad and will now proceed to try and keep them in the division, limiting myself to the 3-5-2, 3-5-2 sweeper and 4-4-2 formations used by Ayr this season in real life. This may also give you a sneak preview of how it will be to manage Ayr in Football Manager when it is released! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 17, 2004 Author Share Posted April 17, 2004 First Team 3-5-2 Sweeper GK: Ludovic Roy - Ludo is our best player by some distance, the one guy of genuine First Division quality and a lot of our hopes this season rest on him. SW:Aaron Black - As a midfielder Aaron was pretty poor, but since moving to the sweeper role has looked servicable. DC: Mark Campbell - Marko is a big galut. Previously class, but since returning from a cruciate injury has been rubbish. Big earner too. DC: Davie Craig - David is a model pro and a shining example to young players, he has been ever since arriving in 1998. Still the top defender at the club. DMR: Willie Lyle - Wullie just beats out Marc Smyth here on endeavour. Really not the best player in the world and can't cross a ball to save his life. DML: Lee Hardy - Lee has all the tools to be good, but can't produce the goods in matchday situations. Ideally a left winger as his defensive skills are sadly lacking, but forced to work hard in this formation. MC: Dougie Ramsay - Dougie played for Motherwell last season and is about the pick of our midfield crop. Reasonable passing, works hard. MC: Steve Ferguson - Steve missed this season IRL through injury, but promises to be a driving force for my team in the engine room. Is a baldy. MC: Scott Chaplain - Cannae tackle, cannae pass, cannae score. Scott easily beats out his other competitors though because I like him. FC: Graeme Brown - Broonie is set to find stardom with indie band Mydas, but still devotes time to playing for Ayr and being a trainee lawyer. Like a cooler version of me really. FC: Stewart Kean - Keano will run himself into the ground for the team, but he can't shoot straight. Early favourite to be top scorer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 I knew what the song would be like before I clicked on this COME ONE AYR Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 August After a couple of decent performances against SPL sides in pre-season we came into competitive action with a Challenge Cup tie in Arbroath. We lost 2-0 and never competed, bringing back haunting memories of our real life collapse at home to Stirling Albion. Our first league match brought another case of deja vu as we faced St Mirren and were reduced to ten men before taking the lead. Saints equalised, but defeat was not forthcoming and we nicked a point. From then on we didn't score another goal all month, though performances improved, losing 3-0 at home to Brechin, 2-0 at Queen of the South and 1-0 at St Johnstone. I added three players on loan for the season, Andy Dowie of Rangers, Les Byle and Paul Mortimer, both of whom were struggling for a game at East Fife. All three have the combative qualities I'm looking for and will hopefully help in defence where Marko Campbell has been a disgrace. @ Arbroath 2 August 2003 Roy © 7; Black 7; Campbell 5 (Smyth, 75 6); Craig 5; Lyle 7; Hardy 7; Ramsay 7; Ferguson 7; Chaplain 6; Brown 4 (Ferguson, 75 6); Kean 5 Goals: none v St Mirren 9 August 2003 Roy © 7; Black 3 (s/o 20); Dowie 4 (Dunlop, 76 6); Craig 5; Lyle 7; Hardy 5 (Miller, 76 6); Ramsay 7; Ferguson 7; Chaplain 7; Brown 7*; Kean 5 (Smyth, 20 6) Goals: Brown 65" v Brechin 16 August 2003 Roy © 5; Smyth 6; Dowie 7; Craig 5; Lyle 7; Hardy 7; Ramsay 7; Ferguson 7; Chaplain 6; Brown 6; Kean 1 (!!) Goals: none @ Queen of the South 23 August 2003 Roy © 8; Black 6; Dowie 4; Craig 7; Tait 4 (Smyth, 76 7); Dunlop 8; Ramsay 7; Miller 7; Hardy 6; Brown 4; Ferguson 2 (Kean, 76 5, s/o 83) Goals: none @ St Johnstone 30 August 2003 Roy © 9*; Black 5; Byle 6; Craig 5; Tait 7; Dunlop 7; Ramsay 5 (Doyle, 87 6); Miller 6; Hardy 7; Brown 6 (McColl, 87 6); Ferguson 7 Goals: none Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Nice structure Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 September An extra time defeat against Hamilton in the League Cup was disappointing, but the bigger worry came from an injury to Ludovic Roy, which tests after the game showed to be a thigh strain, and despite lasting only six minutes of this match, he should not miss any further action. We were competitive at Falkirk on the Saturday, but never good enough, and the 4-2 defeat was not too disappointing. The visit of Ross County was a game we deserved to take something from, but a second half penalty, awarded in controversial circumstances and converted by alleged racist Callum McHattie saw us beaten 1-0. The month ended at Raith where we did well for 45 minutes to go in at 0-0, but collapsed after the break to a 5-0 defeat. A bad month all told. @ Hamilton 2 September 2003 Roy 5 (Hillcoat ©, 6 8); Black 5; Byle 7; Craig 5 (Smyth, 90 7); Tait 7; Dunlop 7; Ramsay 7; Miller 7; Hardy 4 (Ferguson, 90 6); Brown 7; Ferguson 7 Goals: Brown 14" @ Falkirk 13 September 2003 Roy © 7; Black 6; Mortimer 5 (Smyth, 82 6); Craig 6; Tait 5; Dunlop 4 (McGrady, 82 6); S.Ferguson 7; Miller 6; Hardy 4 (Doyle, 82 6); Brown 6; A.Ferguson 8 Goals: A.Ferguson 45", Brown 75" v Ross County 20 September 2003 Roy © 5; Black 7; Smyth 7; Craig 6 (Mortimer, 82 6); Tait 5 (Dunlop, 82 6); McGrady 7; S.Ferguson 7; Miller 7; Ramsay 7; Brown 6 (McColl, 82 6); A.Ferguson 7 Goals: none @ Raith Rovers 27 September 2003 Roy © 6; Black 3; Smyth 6; Craig 5; Lyle 5; McGrady 5; S.Ferguson 6; Miller 4; Ramsay 6; Brown 3; Ferguson 3 Goals: none Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 October Away from home we're hopeless, but at Somerset we've been competitive and when Inverness were reduced to ten men in the second half of our match and David Craig curled home the free kick we looked good for our first win of the season. Caley weren't done though and scrambled a leveller, but the point was more than welcome. Away to Clyde we ran into a team that was simply better than we were and took a bad beating, Roy picking the ball out of his net seven times whilst we failed to threaten Mark Peat's goal. We pulled off a bit of a coup in the week following, bringing in former Scotland player Stephen Wright on a 1-year deal and he started at Brechin. An early penalty kick gave Lee Hardy the chance to put us ahead, and he duly obliged giving us our first away lead of the season. Within 40 seconds Brechin were level though and Stuart McGrady was sent off for a kick after eight minutes. At that stage I felt like going home, but to give my team credit they didn't let their heads go down and took the game in at half time tied 1-1. Further good play after the break kept us level into the final ten minutes, but Brechin are a hard working team who never give up and we knew we had to play for ninety minutes. Ludo Roy in goals was having a great day and the defence in front of him was doing a good job restricting City to long range efforts, with the woodwork serving us well also. As the final whistle signified our first away point of the season the players and fans celebrated as if we'd won the league. It had been a good day. Pushing my wage budget to its extreme limit I added Gary Bowman in the week. Some would say it's a wasted signing as we're strong in midfield, but my hope is that he can deputise at left wing back and in fact he started there days later as we welcomed Queen of the South to Somerset. We showed up pretty well in a scoreless second half and there were thoughts of our first win, but a superb double save from Roy early in the half served to remind us that our first priority was to avoid defeat. Stewart Kean did have a marvellous chance to steal the points in the 89th minute, but he didn't take it and we got the point we just about earned. It had been a superb month as we quadrupled our points tally and experienced just one defeat. v Inverness 4 October 2003 Roy © 7; Black 7; Smyth 7; Craig 7; Lyle 7; McGrady 8*; S.Ferguson 7; Miller 8; Ramsay 7; Brown 7; A.Ferguson 5 (Kean, 45 7) Goals: Craig 49" @ Clyde 15 October 2003 Roy © 6; Black 4; Smyth 5; Craig 5; Lyle 6; McGrady 6; S.Ferguson 5; Miller 6; Ramsay 5 (Hardy, 45 6); Brown 6; A.Ferguson 5 Goals: none @ Brechin 18 October 2003 Roy © 10*; Black 6; Smyth 7; Wright 6; Lyle 7; McGrady 4 (s/o 8); Hardy 7 (Chaplain, 82 7); Miller 7; Ramsay 7; Brown 3 (Ferguson, 82 6); Kean 5 (Dunlop, 8 6) Goals: Hardy 3" pen v Queen of the South 25 October 2003 Roy © 8*; Black 7; Smyth 6; Wright 5; Lyle 6; Bowman 7; Hardy 7; Miller 7; Ramsay 7; Brown 6; Kean 4 Goals: none Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 November After losing 2-0 to St Mirren, St Johnstone and Falkirk we broke the trend with a 4-1 loss at Ross County, Graeme Brown grabbing our goal. We played 4-4-2 for the last three games, but a switch back to the sweeper system for December seems to be inevitable as we seek our first league win of the campaign. @ St Mirren 1 November 2003 Roy © 6; Black 4; Smyth 6; Wright 7; Lyle 7; Bowman 8; Hardy 5 (Chaplain, 78 6); Miller 6; Ramsay 6; Brown 7; Kean 4 (Ferguson, 78 6) Goals: none v St Johnstone 8 November 2003 Roy © 6; Lyle 7; Bowman 7; Smyth 7; Wright 6; Ramsay 4 (Tait, 45 7); Hardy 7; Miller 7; Chaplain 4 (Dunlop, 45 7); Brown 4 (Ferguson, 45 7); Kean 6 Goals: none v Falkirk 22 November 2003 Roy © 5; Lyle 7; Bowman 5 (Dunlop, 86 6); Smyth 7; Wright 8; Ramsay 7; Hardy 6; Miller 7; S.Ferguson 7; Brown 4 (A.Ferguson 86, 6); Kean 7 Goals: none @ Ross County 29 November 2003 Roy © 7; Lyle 5 (Tait, 58 6); Bowman 5; Smyth 5; Wright 6; Ramsay 6; Hardy 6; Miller 4 (Chaplain, 58 6); S.Ferguson 5 (Dunlop, 58 6); Brown 7; Kean 7 Goals: Brown 52" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OMDave Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 A pleasant read -wish I could get my story to move as smoothly Sorry to see Roy's form is a little erratic...decent keeper though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 December A 1-0 defeat at home to Raith wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that we didn't generate a single shot on goal in the 90 minutes, but we hoped to rectify that as Clyde visites, and did as a goalkeeping error allowed Graeme Brown to give us a third minute lead. We held the advantage for almost a quarter of an hour before Clyde broke through to level, but they wasted no time in scoring a second and we once again faced a defecit. A third goal with twenty-five minutes to go killed us off, though we did grab a second of our own thanks to a deflected Steven Miller free kick with eight minutes to go. Some improvement on 7-0 it has to be said. We got a major boost in the week as the draw for the Third Round sent us to Ibrox, meaning January at least had some promise. In the meantime a trip to Inverness would normally mean defeat, but despite losing an own goal after just two minutes we had some pride to play for. A minute later it was 2-0 and we were starting to get worried down on the bench. It was three before even quarter of an hour had been played and only a brilliant save prevented a quick fourth. A 22nd minute penalty took the tally to four as we visibly imploded, but did hold out then until the break. We only lost one in the second half, but in injury time Willie Lyle missed a great chance to atone for his og, but his shot was saved and the match was over. Wholesale changes on the advice of my assistant Peter Leonard ensued for the home game with Brechin, but as ever we seemed bent on self-destruction giving up a goal on a 11th minute penalty kick. A red card for McGrady as the first half ended killed any thoughts of a comeback, a second Brechin goal with less than twenty minutes to go only serving to confirm that. The game eventually ended 4-0, which was harsh, but shows that we simply aren't good enough at this level. v Raith Rovers 6 December 2003 Roy © 8; Black 4; Smyth 6; Wright 6; Lyle 5; McGrady 7; Ramsay 7; Ferguson 6; Bowman 7; Brown 7; Kean 3 Goals: none v Clyde 13 December 2003 Roy © 8; Black 4; Smyth 7; Wright 7; Lyle 8; McGrady 7; Ramsay 7; S.Ferguson 5 (Miller, 59 7); Bowman 7; Brown 8; A.Ferguson 7 Goals: Brown 3", Miller 82" @ Inverness 20 December 2003 Roy © 5; Black 6; Smyth 5; Wright 6; Lyle 5; McGrady 6; Ramsay 4; S.Ferguson 5 (Miller, 60 6); Bowman 4 (Hardy, 60 6); Brown 3 (Kean, 45 6); A.Ferguson 4 (s/o 90) Goals: none v Brechin 26 December 2003 Roy © 6; Dowie 5; Smyth 6; Dunlop 5 (Craig, 31 5); Lyle 6; Bowman 4 (Hardy, 74 6); Miller 5; Chaplain 6; Mortimer 6; Tait 4 (Brown, 45 4); McGrady 3 (s/o 45) Goals: none Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts 1st Raith Rovers 19 13 4 2 40 17 +23 43 2nd Brechin 19 11 5 3 44 20 +24 38 3rd Inverness C. Thistle 19 9 6 4 34 20 +14 33 4th St. Johnstone 19 9 4 6 30 19 +11 31 5th Clyde 19 9 2 8 31 30 +1 29 6th Falkirk 19 8 4 7 35 22 +13 28 7th Queen of Sth. 19 8 2 9 30 40 -10 26 8th Ross County 19 6 3 10 20 30 -10 21 9th St. Mirren 19 4 2 13 19 44 -25 14 </pre><pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">10th Ayr 19 0 4 15 8 49 -41 4 </pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Poor first half, pretty sure you'll end it well, otherwise my tenner on you suviving the season at this rate at 100-1 is going right out the window Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 Right now I'd be happy to get 10 points! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 January There was actually a semblance of solidity about us in the 1-0 loss in Dumfries, but whatever way you spin it, no goals and no points are worth nothing. I was genuinely scared ahead of the Scottish Cup game at Ibrox, but that it took Rangers until the fifth minute to score was somewhat of an achievement. Seventy-five seconds later it was 2-0 and a third wasn't long in coming. It was 7-0 by the 39th minute, but all that was forgotten as Steven Miller scored a goal four minutes before the break! Ragners won the second half 2-0, but we had scored at Ibrox! The same XI that lost to Rangers took on St Mirren at Somerset, but even at home to the second-worst team in the league we were poor, losing two first half goals and three second half goals in a big loss. We added two players, right back Steven Masterton, in midweek after he was released by Killie and like most players I sign, I gave him a game on the Saturday whilst midfielder Kevin Rennie benefited similarly, at St Johnstone. A goalless first half was something of a triumph, but former Ayr player Paul Lovering made it 1-0 with less than half an hour to go to seemingly condemn us to defeat. But no! Stuart McGrady popped up late on to snatch an equaliser and we had our first point of the year. Happy day! Not that we then expected anything from our game at Falkirk on the last day of the month, and an injury to Steven Miller before the break was no encouragement. Still, we were surprisingly competitive and just after the hour took a shock lead as Stuart McGrady headed home and Andy Ferguson cross. Falkirk levelled though ten minutes later and it seemed a winner was inevitable when a potentially season-ending injury to Bowman reduced us to ten men. Still despite seeing three teammates stretchered off after tackles from the brutal Falkirk team, our guys were resiliant and won another fine point. I'd suggest however that it's all too little too late. @ Queen of the South 3 January 2004 Roy 6; Lyle 6; Dunlop 6; Wright 6; Dowie 5 (Smyth, 60 7); Miller 7; Bowman 4 (Hardy, 60 6); Ramsay © 7; Mortimer 7; Brown 7; McColl 6 (Tait, 60 6) Goals: none @ Rangers 10 January 2004 Roy 5; Lyle 3 (Smyth, 88 6); Dunlop 6; Wright 4; Dowie 5; Miller 6; Bowman 3 (Hardy, 88 6); Ramsay © 3; Mortimer 3; Brown 2; McColl 3 (Tait, 88 6) Goals: Miller 41" v St Mirren 17 January 2004 Roy 5; Lyle 6; Dunlop 4; Wright 5; Dowie 4 (Smyth 45, 6); Miller 4 (Tait, 45 6); Bowman 5; Ramsay © 6; Mortimer 6; Brown 4; McColl 3 Goals: none @ St Johnstone 24 January 2003 Roy © 7; Masterton 6; Dunlop 5; Wright 4; Dowie 7; Miller 5; Bowman 7; Rennie 7; Chaplain 6; Tait 4 (Brown, 45 7); McGrady 7 Goals: McGrady 88" @ Falkirk 31 January 2004 Roy © 8; Masterton 7; Dunlop 7 (Smyth, 56 6); Wright 7; Dowie 6; Miller 4 (Lyle, 28 6); Bowman 7 (inj 77); Rennie 7; Doyle 4; Tait 4 (A.Ferguson, 56 7); McGrady 7 Goals: McGrady 62" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 February A 90th minute leveller at home to Ross County provided the high of the season to date, but even that was to be eclipsed as we visited leaders Raith. with time ticking away on a 0-0 draw we were sensationally awarded a penalty in injury time. Lee Hardy stepped up and saw his effort saved by the keeper, but a despairing lunge squeezed the rebound home and we had won at last! A tickertape parade welcomed us back to Ayr and the 4 fans that travelled were ecstatic. Of course we were bound to get our comeuppance at home to Inverness, but it was a buoyant support that saw us take a 31st minute lead through Kevin Rennie and when Stuart McGrady gave us our first two goal lead two minutes into the second half, and our first three goal lead of the season eight minutes later there was at least one man who came. The game ended 3-0 and at least one man made a wholly predictable joke involving buses. The month ended with a game at Clyde where, of course, we lost 7-0 earlier in the season, but now we were looking to complete an unbeaten month, with a win perhaps even putting me in the running for manager of the month. In the end we picked up a brilliant 0-0 draw with Clyde's Simon Mensing sent off in injury time. It had been some month. Unbelievably though, two wins in four gave the top manager award to Ross County's Alex Smith, although we did taste some success as Kevin Rennie won goal of the month, with Graeme Brown third in the same category. v Ross County 11 February 2004 Roy 5; Masterton 7; Dunlop 7; Wright 8; Dowie 7; Ramsay © 6 (Hardy, 83 7); McGrady 7; Rennie 7; Chaplain 7; Ferguson 4 (Kean 45, 7); Brown 8* Goals: Brown 90" @ Raith Rovers 14 February 2004 Roy 8*; Masterton 5; Dunlop 6; Wright 6; Dowie 7; Ramsay © 8; Hardy 6; Rennie 7; Chaplain 5; Brown 7; McGrady 7 Goals: Hardy 90" v Inverness 21 February 2004 Roy 7; Masterton 8; Dunlop 7; Wright 8; Dowie 7; Ramsay © 7; Hardy 7; Rennie 8; Chaplain 7; Brown 6; McGrady 8* Goals: Rennie 31", McGrady 47", 55" @ Clyde 28 February 2004 Roy 7; Masterton 5 (Lyle, 83 6); Dunlop 6; Wright 7; Dowie 6 (Smyth, 83 6); Miller 6; Hardy 7; Ramsay © 6; Rennie 4; Brown 3; McGrady 3 (A.Ferguson, 83 6) Goals: none Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoS Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 You're prolific! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 March A 3-2 win at Brechin staved off relegation for one more week, and continued a bizarre run of form that now stretches to seven games unbeaten despite no wins in our first 27 games of the season in all competitions, but a 1-0 loss at home to Queen of the South the next week was a big disappointment to all concerned, and largely pinned on the injury that kept Stephen Wright out of the side. He was again absent as we travelled to Love Street to face St Mirren, a game in which defeat would confirm our relegation. With the score 1-1 an injury to Ludo Roy just before half time was a sickener, and despite taking a 2-1 lead we had to settle for a 2-2 draw, with results elsewhere condemning us to the Second Division for next season. Some consolation came in the shape of Masterton winning the Young Player of the Month Award, well deserved it was too. @ Brechin 6 March 2004 Roy 8; Masterton 9*; Dunlop 7; Wright 7; Dowie 7; Ramsay © 6; Hardy 6; Chaplain 7; Rennie 7; Brown 4 (A.Ferguson, 74 6); McGrady 6 Goals: Masterton 11", 42", McGrady 77" v Queen of the South 13 March 2004 Roy 5; Masterton 8; Dunlop 7; Smyth 7; Dowie 6; Ramsay © 7; Hardy 7; Rennie 7; Chaplain 6; Brown 6; McGrady 4 (A.Ferguson, 86 6) Goals: none @ St Mirren 20 March 2004 Roy 5 (Hillcoat, 43 8*); Masterton 7; Dunlop 6; Smyth 5 (Black, 81 6); Dowie 6; Ramsay © 7; Hardy 7; Rennie 7; Chaplain 7; Tait 7 (McGrady, 81 6); Ferguson 7 Goals: A.Ferguson 38", Masterton 52" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 April Steve Masterton's second double in four games gave us a 2-1 win over St Johnstone as we looked to fill a spoiler role over the final six games of the season. Falkirk were next to visit Somerset, and though we couldn't hold on to the lead Brown gave us we did take a good point. David Craig, Jamie Doyle, Stewart Kean and Mark Campbell were released in the week as we began our preparations for next season. The team was unchanged for the trip to Ross County, but we were comfortably second best throughout. Earlier in the season we'd have crumbled, but Roy saved a late penalty and we took a decent point. If only we'd started out the season as strongly as we're finishing it. Raith visited next, bringing back memories of Stark's Park and Lee Hardy's bundled winner. Boyd Mullen made his first professional start on the right as Ramsay dropped to the bench. A red card for Rovers' Baltacha after 28 minutes was followed by one for Scott Chaplain after 32 as the referee lost control. At 10-a-side it was a wide open game and Raith scored first, just after the hour mark. A second Rovers goal followed as they adapted better to the wide open spaces, and the match was won. v St Johnstone 3 April 2004 Roy 5; Masterton 10*; Dunlop 8; Wright 7; Dowie 5 (Smyth, 58 7); Ramsay © 7; Hardy 6; Rennie 7; Chaplain 7; Brown 5 (McGrady, 58 7); Ferguson 7 Goals: Masterton 71", 82" v Falkirk 10 April 2004 Roy 7; Masterton 7; Dunlop 7; Wright 7; Smyth 7; Ramsay © 6 (Mullen, 79 6); Hardy 7; Rennie 7; Chaplain 7; Brown 7; Ferguson 7 (McGrady, 79 6) Goals: @ Ross County 17 April 2004 Roy 9*; Masterton 6; Dunlop 5; Wright 6; Smyth 6; Ramsay © 4 (Mullen, 45 6); Hardy 6; Rennie 7; Chaplain 6; Brown 4; Ferguson 7 Goals: none v Raith Rovers 24 April 2004 Roy © 5; Masterton 7; Dunlop 6; Wright 6; Dowie 5 (Smyth, 70 6); Mullen 5 (McGrady, 70 7); Hardy 7; Rennie 7; Chaplain 6 (s/o 32); Brown 6 (Ramsay, 33 7); Ferguson 7 Goals: none Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 May With just two games to play we were looking forward to the end of the season. The game at Inverness looked set to turn as we equalised with a penalty kick following a red card for Caley Thistle defender Stuart Golabek, and Graeme Brown added to that goal with his second, and ninth of the season, after the break. Inverness equalised again, but were then reduced to nine men when Roy McBain was sent off, and a McGrady header made it 3-2. Almost unbelievably though the nine levelled, so I hooked Ludo Roy and went for it. We drew, but I took some solace from the fact I was disappointed by that. We finished off the season by welcoming Clyde to Somerset. The visitors took the first half honours by two goals to Andy Ferguson's one, but Ludo Roy was again subbed, this time at the interval. Graeme Brown's tenth of the season pulled us level just before the hour, but there was no further scoring as we ended the campaign with a draw. We had been relegated, but our late-season form showed promise for the new year if I could keep the team together. Mark McColl, Steven Miller, Aaron Black and Jordan Tait were released as the clearout continued. @ Inverness 1 May 2004 Roy © 4 (Hillcoat, 80 6); Masterton 7; Dunlop 4 (Lyle, 80 7); Wright 6; Smyth 6; McGrady 7; Bowman 7; Rennie 7; Mullen 7; Brown 7 (McColl, 90 6); A.Ferguson 7 Goals: Brown 36" pen, 58", McGrady 75" v Clyde 8 May 2004 Roy © 4 (Hillcoat, 45 7); Masterton 7; Dunlop 7; Wright 5; Smyth 5; Mullen 7; Bowman 6 (McGrady, 81 6); Rennie 6 (Ramsay, 81 6); Hardy 7; Brown 8; A.Ferguson 7 Goals: A.Ferguson 19", Brown 57" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 19, 2004 Author Share Posted April 19, 2004 <pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre"> Pos Team Pld Won Drn Lst For Ag G.D. Pts 1st C Raith Rovers 36 19 8 9 63 37 +26 65 2nd Inverness C. Thistle 36 17 10 9 56 39 +17 61 3rd St. Johnstone 36 15 10 11 48 36 +12 55 4th Brechin 36 14 11 11 66 54 +12 53 5th Clyde 36 13 12 11 51 44 +7 51 6th Queen of Sth. 36 13 8 15 58 72 -14 47 7th Ross County 36 12 10 14 36 47 -11 46 8th Falkirk 36 11 12 13 55 45 +10 45 9th R St. Mirren 36 12 6 18 50 65 -15 42</pre><pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">10th R Ayr 36 4 13 19 28 72 -44 25</pre> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 20, 2004 Author Share Posted April 20, 2004 June/July I figured we had to be looking to return to the First Division this season, though the board and fans were less optimistic. Some tough negotiation saw Ludo Roy, Steve Ferguson, Marc Smyth, Dougie Ramsay and Scott Chaplain take significant paycuts, whilst we added keeper Myles Hogarth from Stirling and a host of young players released by SPL and First Division sides. Stuart McGrady suffered a bad injury after the season ended and won't play until September, but with Graeme Brown reaching double figures last season and Ludo Roy being named on the bench for the team of the year, McGrady's election as player of the year by the supporters was surprising. The only disappointment of the close season was a slipped disc suffered by Martin Cameron in the days before he was due to join, causing him to fail a medical and not join the squad. We were set to give it a go, last seasons's start forgotten. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted April 20, 2004 Share Posted April 20, 2004 To paraphrase Paul Daniels: Now That's Realism Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted April 20, 2004 Share Posted April 20, 2004 We expect better research in FM2005 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HD Posted April 25, 2004 Author Share Posted April 25, 2004 Season 2004-05 The new players didn't settle in as well as we had hoped, and some sloppy results meant we were once again facing a struggle of a season by the time winter approached. On the other hand, we did lift the Challenge Cup, the club's first major trophy, and that delighted the board and the supporters. On the 20th November, with Ayr sitting bottom of the Second Division, with only eight points from thirteen games, I was dismissed by the board. The end Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian of Nazareth Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Oops May well have underrated those players a bit too much Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacemaker7 Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 <BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Brian of Nazareth: Oops May well have underrated those players a bit too much <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Nah they were realistic. That was the problem Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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