Ayr United midfielder Alan Trouten has experienced the pain of relegation and the joy of promotion and he knows that ending this season with his club still in the First Division will feel like a promotion success.
The Honest Men’s Play-Off Semi-Final with Airdrie United is delicately poised at 0-0 after their first leg meeting on Wednesday with the Diamonds missing the opportunity to take a lead to Ayrshire when Paul Lovering missed from the penalty spot.
Having gone up a division with both Queen’s Park and the Somerset Park club in his career, Trouten is determined that his side can win through to the Final to avoid the drops he suffered when he was a player at Clyde and ironically, the Diamonds.
Season 2006-2007 was a great one for Trouten and his Spiders’ team-mates as a CIS Insurance Cup win over Aberdeen gave the Glasgow side the confidence required to go for promotion under the guidance of head coach Billy Stark.
Trouten said, “That was a great season and beating Aberdeen was a massive part of that. It gave us confidence, as not only did we beat them on penalties after a goalless draw, we deserved the win as we played really well.”
“I was fortunate enough to score the winning penalty and that win really gave us a belief that we could do something that season. That belief was to help us later on in the season as we went on a run that saw us win 12 of our last 15 games and get into third place in the table.”
The success over the Dons was achieved at Partick Thistle’s Firhill ground as Queen’s Park’s home of Hampden was being used for a Rolling Stones concert and, after Arbroath had been defeated 4-1 on aggregate at the Play-Off Semi-Final stage, the Spiders returned to Glasgow’s west end for the first leg of the Final against East Fife.
This time the game was moved as their Mount Florida home was staging the all-Spanish UEFA Cup Final between Seville and Espanyol and it proved a happy hunting ground again for Queen’s.
They won 4-2 with Steven Canning grabbing a double with Mick Dunlop and April’s IRN-BRU Phenomenal Player of the Month Paul Cairney netting the fourth.
That set up the chance for promotion at New Bayview and Stark’s side rose to the occasion and won 3-0.
The outcome was in little doubt after Paul Paton had given them an early lead with Trouten saying, “Paul scored a wonder goal from about 30 yards out. No-one had seen him do anything like that before and he still gets teased about the fact that we all thought that was him trying to control the ball.”
“It turned into quite a comfortable win and it was a great day. It was my first promotion and I had really enjoyed it. We did it in style and I know Billy Stark is still very proud of how we achieved things that season.”
The good natured teasing that Paton receives is an indication of the spirit that existed in that Hampden squad with Trouten saying, “There was and still is a great bond between that group of players. We all came through into the first team at the same time and kicked about together off the field as well. We went on holiday together and still keep in touch now.”
“There were friendships formed at that time that still remain and we all met up recently at the Tribute Dinner for Tony Quinn who is still at Queen’s Park. It was a great team to play in and we stayed together for the next season, with the exception of David Weatherston who moved to St. Johnstone. We also kept Queen’s Park in Division Two which was good going as well.”
The summer of 2008 saw the break-up of that exciting young squad with Trouten saying, “Billy left in the January to become Scotland under-21 boss and Gardner Speirs came in and helped us over the finishing line to safety. Stuart Kettlewell and I joined Clyde and of course Stuart has now helped Ross County to the SPL.”
“Paul Paton is at Partick, Mark Ferry moved to Raith Rovers and is now at Stirling Albion, Mick Dunlop has been at Ayr, Alloa and Brechin and Steven Canning was also at Brechin before moving to Albion Rovers. Paul Cairney has just had a great season with Partick Thistle and he could well be going to the SPL as well if newspaper speculation is to be believed.”
Kettlewell and Trouten’s move to a then First Division Clyde did not work out as expected and the duo were part of a Bully Wee team that were relegated which ironically was the same fate that befell Queen’s Park that season in the Division below.
Trouten moved on to Airdrie and he said, “At times that moved worked out really well as I scored twice in a Scottish Cup tie against Queen of the South and I scored twice in a League game, ironically against Ayr.”
“We struggled in the league and despite a late rally we were in the Play-Offs. I had been injured but agreed with the manager Kenny Black that I would give it a go in the first leg of the Semi-Final against Brechin.”
The move didn’t work out as Trouten explained, “I went on with half an hour to go and my hamstring tightened up almost immediately and it was like playing on one leg. Brechin were the better side and won 2-1 and it was simply a horrible experience.”
Things did not get any better for Trouten or the Diamonds as he said, “I missed the second leg and it ended 1-0 to Brechin in a game where we did not get a break at all.”
“Stevie Canning handled a shot that was going in on the line and we never got a penalty and that kind of summed things up.”
The Diamonds were relegated as a result and the now 26-year-old moved on to Ayr United and ironically his first game was against Airdrie. It was a strange experience for Trouten.
“I played against them at Alloa’s Recreation Park as their new artificial pitch was not fully ready,” said Trouten before adding, “And it would be fair to say that I got pelters from their fans and so did my family who were watching.”
“Mark Roberts told me that he was delighted that I had signed for Ayr as it saved him from getting shouted at as used to play for Airdrie as well. We beat them that day and of course faced them four times in the League. We won three of those games and that probably made us even more unpopular.”
The Honest Men finished last season in second place in the Second Division to Champions Livingston and took on Forfar at the Semi-Final stage and it was not a tie they were looking forward to.
Trouten explained, “We had struggled up at Station Park and had been beaten 4-1 and 3-2 but we turned that around in the Play-Offs by winning 4-1. We played really well that night but were a bit slacker in the second leg that was drawn 3-3.”
That set up a Play-Off Final against Brechin with the First Leg at Somerset Park with Trouten saying, “We played really well in the first half and got ahead through a Michael Moffat goal. They equalised late on with a Neil Janczyk free kick that was probably a cross but everyone left to each other and it crept in.”
Unlike his Play-Off experience with Queen’s Park, Ayr were heading to the second leg with no advantage and Trouten said, “We went up to Brechin and actually fell behind to a goal right on half time. Mark and Michael turned things around and we were up amid great scenes of celebration.”
The joy of promotion was as sweet second time around with Trouten saying, “It was a great day and we had a huge backing from Ayr fans at Glebe Park. They got right behind us and helped us get to the First Division with their support.”
This season has seen part-time Ayr compete well against the full time sides in the First Division as well as embarking on great Cup runs.
Trouten returned to Hampden to play in the Scottish Communities League Cup Semi-Final against Kilmarnock and he said, “It was a brilliant occasion and for us to get there after beating 3 SPL sides was a great achievement. We went there looking to win the game but it simply did not work out.”
“We also reached the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup and the Ramsdens Cup so we can look forward to the second leg with Airdrie with confidence if we view it as a Cup tie.”
Trouten added, “We have also had a good season in the First Division and again as a part-time side it was a great feat to nearly pull off survival.”
Like his days at Queen’s Park Trouten reckons that team spirit could be the key to success as he explained, “The boys at Ayr are all close and there is a strong bond between us. We have a bit of momentum and confidence and a lot of us had a wee rest last weekend when we played Falkirk. A lot of the youngsters at the club came in and played really well and that bodes well for the future of the club.”
As for Ayr’s immediate future Trouten said, “I have been relegated twice before and promoted once and I know which experience I preferred. To stay up with Ayr would feel like a promotion and it would also be a massive achievement for the club.”
“It is now a Cup Final and I am looking forward to it despite the boos I will probably get.”
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