Ayr United’s 3-2 win over Dundee last Saturday saw them avoid automatic relegation to the Second Division and it also saw the quick fire debut of two more of the pupils from the Ayr United Football Academy, Steven Hutchison and Jackson Longridge, who were two of the four outfield substitutes against the Dark Blues.
Both teenagers have risen through the ranks of the Somerset Park club while Ross Robertson, who also came off the bench and netted the winner, Roddy Paterson, who was an unused substitute, Mark Shankland and Robbie Crawford have all made their way into the Ayr first team squad recently.
One man who is not surprised by the introduction of home grown talent is Academy Director, David White, who in fact, has been waiting for it to happen and it has now done so bang on time.
The Academy is a joint initiative between the club, Ayr United Community Initiative (The Honest Men Trust), Ayrshire and Arran NHS, Ayr College and South Ayrshire Council with White advising: “They all have representatives on our board and we all work together to meet the many objectives of the Academy.”
The Academy has been running for seven years with White, a former professional at St. Mirren, saying: “I have been here for five years after giving up the game at 23 and then being a SFA Development Officer for 12 years.
“Whilst it is great to produce players for the first team Manager Brian Reid, there is a huge community programme as well. That is all about making the club a bigger part of the community and developing football as a sport across our region.”
White explained what the club do saying: “We travel all across South Ayrshire delivering football programmes in nursery, primary and secondary schools. We also go to disability centres and have an all-girls programme as well. We run night leagues and coach adults with learning disabilities.
“There are a lot of volunteers carrying out the coaching and occasionally, we can spot a player for the club’s various youth teams from all this work which is an added benefit.”
On the playing front, Ayr’s Academy runs teams from Under-13 to Under-19 age levels with White adding: “We also have development squads from the ages of 9 to 11 and occasionally, they will undertake some extra training with the youth squads.
“We have applied for the Performance level of youth football in Scotland but everything is a wee bit up in the air just now as we want the full findings of the Club Academy Scotland programme to be rolled out.”
There are 160 to 180 players in the Ayr youth programme and the vast, vast majority are home grown with White saying: “We have a couple from the south side of Glasgow and a couple from East Kilbride but the rest are within a 40 minute radius of us. Having so many local boys certainly helps build the pride in the football club.”
From all of these programmes, players are emerging for the Honest Men’s first team and they have to be prepared to be thrown into action at short notice with White explaining: “Steven was on the bench on Saturday and he got sent on after just eight minutes when John Robertson was injured. Jackson then got sent on 11 minutes later when Adam Dodd was hurt.
“It is great that the Manager has the trust in our young players to bring them in but you are always apprehensive when players make that step up. The boys were thrown in a bit at the deep end but they handled it really well especially when you consider how big a game it was.”
White added: “And, of course, it is always good when one of your youngsters comes off the bench and scores a last minute winner like Ross Robertson did at the weekend.
“He has been with us for the seven years we have been going and so has Roddy. It is a real motivator for the young kids at the Academy to see players they have trained beside breaking through. They may have got their chance because of injuries to more experienced players but it is still good for coaches and players to see guys from the youth set-up become involved in the first team environment.
“The Manager knows a lot of them really well as some of them are in training every day with him. We have always said that if you do well in the youth teams and train hard when the Manager is taking training, you will catch his eye and he would bring you in. That is what is happening now and it is right on time as I said when I began that it would take the Academy four or five years to start producing players of the right standard.”
White added: “The boys deserve a break as they do not get paid a lot and those that are not in training during the day train hard three nights a week.”
The Academy has already seen success both at team and individual levels with White saying: “Our Under-17 side won the SFL Under-17 Youth Division Championship last season without losing a game. This season’s Under-17 side are playing Livingston in the Final of the SFL Under-17 Youth League Cup at Somerset Park on Friday night so there is the chance of more silverware.
“However, that is not what that part of the Academy is about as getting players ready for first team action is more important the winning trophies.”
At individual level, Ayr striker Mark Shankland was picked to play for Scotland at Under-17 age level with White saying: “Mark became Ayr’s youngest ever first team player when he played aged just 15 years and 300 days against Brechin last season. He was chosen to play for Scotland as well, ironically at a game in Ayr, and having him in the team put at least another hundred on the gate.
“He is still very much part of our Under-17 team as well.”
Another player to have caught Manager Reid’s eye is Robbie Crawford with White saying: “He is a local boy from Kilwinning and again has been with us for a few years. He was beginning to get established in the first team squad when he picked up an injury at Ravenscraig earlier this year but he will bounce back from that.”
White obviously enjoys his job saying: “I have been known to do 16 hours a day and over 70 hours a week but I enjoy it. Sometimes however, I have the day off where the mobile is switched off and I concentrate on my three-year-old daughter.
“It is a great job and it is great that the kids are breaking through now and that the Manager trusts them enough to have them involved. It would also be great if they can play their part in Ayr staying in the First Division via the end of season Play-Offs.”
*The SFL Under-17 Youth League Cup Final, between Ayr United and Livingston, will take place this evening, Friday, 4th May at the Honest Men’s Somerset Park ground. The game kicks off at 8.00 p.m. and fans are being asked only to make a donation to assist with the cost of youth development at the turnstiles.
