Ayr United’s 2-1 win over Stranraer last Saturday was the perfect way for Somerset Park Player/Manager Mark Roberts to mark six months in charge of the Honest Men. The game, like the rest of Roberts’ time in charge, was a roller-coaster of an affair as his side were trailing, created and missed chances to get level, eventually got an equaliser, had a man sent off, survived a late penalty scare and scored an even later winner.
Roberts said: “You could certainly say my first six months have been eventful with a few ups and downs. We had a really poor start but have now gone on a decent run where we have won six and drawn one of our last eight games.
“One thing that has however, remained consistent, is that we have never had a settled team.”
Roberts stepped up from a playing only role in the middle of May when Ayr and previous Manager Brian Reid parted company and one of his first tasks was to build a new squad as he lost a heap of experienced players.
“Kevin Cuthbert, Andy Geggan, Chris Smith, Eddie Malone, Keigan Parker and Alan Trouten were all leaving,” said Roberts before adding, “and Jonathan Tiffoney came back for a while before deciding he wanted to go elsewhere. As far as I know, he still has not found another club elsewhere and is not playing which is disappointing as football is only a short career.”
Ayr had a slow start to the season with four League defeats and a draw in their first five games and a Ramsdens Cup exit to East Stirlingshire although a 6-1 win over Clyde in The Scottish Communities League Cup gave a glimpse into the potential that was in the squad that Roberts put together in the summer.
He said: “I knew that we would not hit the ground running as there had been so many changes in the summer but the belief is building in the squad. We are into a Play-Off spot for the first time and that shows we are recovering but we want to go higher than that.”
“Injuries have hurt us and continue to hurt us and we have lost Martyn Campbell and Michael McGowan for the rest of the season and they would have been first team regulars. We have had to change the shape we wanted to play as a result as we do not have the width I was hoping to have. It has been unsettling as I have not had the same team twice but that is management.”
The former Kilmarnock, Raith Rovers (on loan), Falkirk, Airdrieonians, Shelbourne, St. Mirren, Airdrie United and Partick Thistle striker has an infectious enthusiasm for the game and a wicked sense of humour that at times has probably masked both his desire to do well as well as his ambition to be a boss.
Roberts explained: “I had thought about being a Manager for a few years. Some people will no doubt be surprised as they thought I would never be a Manager but it was something that has appealed to me in recent years.
“I took a few training sessions but I have not done any coaching and went straight into the management side. I was very lucky that I had been at Ayr for four years and have enjoyed being here and that was the way they wanted to go in the summer.”
Roberts is supported by David White from the club’s Youth Academy and with the accent definitely on youth down at Somerset Park, it has been a good move.
He said: “David knows every player who is playing at youth level in Scotland and that knowledge is invaluable. We have our own kids like Mark Shankland and Robbie Crawford who flirted with the first team last season but David has helped bring Aaron Wylie through this term.
“David told me all about him and having David assisting me helps players with the transition from youth football to the first team. We are no different to a number of teams at our level in that hopefully, our young players will go on and make a fortune for the club in the transfer market. If we can bring through three or four youngsters a season, it would be a great production line but we want to get a lot out of them whilst they are Ayr players.”
Crawford looks set for a bright future as he reminds Roberts of former Rangers and Scotland captain Barry Ferguson with the Ayr boss explaining: “Robbie is only 19 but he is already becoming a fixture in our first team. He has come through our youth programme and this is his first season at senior level but he has been terrific.
“He covers every bit of the pitch and he plays in a way that reminds me of Barry when he was at his prime at Rangers. He is always available to receive a pass and then rarely gives it away.”
Roberts added: “He is also a level headed lad and he will go on to have a great career in the game if he keeps on developing like he has in the first three months of his first team career here.”
One of Crawford’s team-mates recently has been Roberts, who is of course, still a player for the Honest Men, and the ‘Gaffer’s’ appearances have become more frequent recently as he said: “I played in a few pre-season games and even scored against Bolton Wanderers but these were mostly cameo roles. Injuries had seen me come back in against Stranraer at the beginning of September but I was not fit enough at that time and that did not help in what was a bad day for me and the club.”
A 2-0 defeat in what is classed as a ‘South–West’ derby hit Roberts hard in both his roles as he explained: “I played that day as we were lacking players but I was not as fit as I would have liked. I did not enjoy playing and we lost in a poor game for us. It was our fourth defeat in a row and it was the lowest point in my 20 years in football.
“Defeats had hit me hard as a player but as a Manager, it was worse. To be honest, I was embarrassed by that one and so were the players. I think they had been seduced by the pre-season press that they would take the Second Division by storm after being relegated. That day they realised that it was not going to be easy.”
The Ayr fans were in no mood to cut Roberts any slack after their Stair Park defeat with the Somerset Park Manager saying: “We knew we needed to improve massively and by the time we got back to the ground, someone had hung a banner saying that the Ayr fans deserved better. That banner hurt but in a way, it provided even more motivation.
“We played Queen of the South the following week and put in a much better display. We lost 4-2 but had been the better team for long periods in the game and that game marked a change.”
Roberts knew that he was going to have to help out more on the pitch and he said: “I needed to get fitter so I played in quite a few reserve games. The players in those games became more comfortable with me playing and despite calling me 'Gaffer', I am a player on the pitch. They were prepared to give me a hard time if I was not doing what I was meant to be doing as a team-mate.
“I was becoming more comfortable in the Manager's role so that also helped me play more. I have enjoyed it but David and I usually go out with a game plan and that allows things to happen without too much fuss. We will get together again at half-time and decide on what should be done but of course, sometimes things happen that David has to deal with and that is fine by me.”
Since the defeat against the Doonhamers, Ayr have defeated East Fife, Brechin City, Albion Rovers, Arbroath and Stranraer with a draw at Stenhousemuir with Roberts saying: “We have not looked back since then and we also saw off Clachnacuddin in the Scottish Cup. We have lost only the once to Alloa and the fans are back on board.
“The fans will expect us to go on now and win the title. We will give it a right good try although Queen of the South are in a very strong position after the first third of games.”
Ayr travel to Palmerston this weekend to take on the unbeaten Dumfries side with Roberts eyeing the clash with a bit of relish as he said: “This is a massive game but I love occasions like this. If we are to make a challenge then this is the type of game that we should be looking to win. We have good players who will enjoy being underdogs against a side that are still full-time and have a budget that is a lot more than ours.
“They should be winning the League with the resources they have but our guys have a lot to prove.”
Roberts will not look to sit-in and sneak a win at Palmerston as that would be against his nature as his said: “We will go and play with three up front. When I put out a side to be defensive, that will be the day I chuck football. We need to be professional of course and the same level of professionalism that the 10 men put in to beat Stranraer last weekend would be great.
“That was a game where we were well on top but like my management career so far, it was full of ups and downs. We played really well in patches, missed chances, lost a goal, equalised, had Ryan McStay sent off and got a break with a penalty claim and then scored a winner.
“Just a normal day in the office for me,” laughed Roberts.
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