Ayr United’s experienced midfielder Alex Burke comes up against one of his former clubs this week when the First Division side, who have enhanced their reputation as giantkillers this season with wins over Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Heart of Midlothian, visit New St. Mirren Park.
Despite his association with the Paisley club, it will be a trip into the unknown for the 33-year-old who said: “St. Mirren will be tough opponents and you only need to look at their recent game against Rangers to see why but I am looking forward to it all the same. Whilst I spent a couple of years at the club under Gus MacPherson, I have never played at their new stadium, in fact, I have never even visited it.”
Burke added: “We have defeated Inverness and Hearts at our place and that has been great, especially the Hearts tie as they are one of the country’s top sides. They had a lot of the ball but our boys did really well.
“Hearts went close and Kevin Cuthbert saved a couple of good efforts but we came through.”
The Scottish Cup winner with Ayrshire rivals Kilmarnock, who has become a feature on the substitutes bench for the Honest Men since joining this summer, is hoping to not only be visiting New St. Mirren Park but to be taking part as he explained: “I was on the bench the night we beat Hearts as I have been a few times this season. It can be frustrating not to get on until later in the game but I will keep plugging away. Hopefully, not only will I be visiting New St. Mirren Park for the first time, I will also be playing on it as well.”
Burke only recently added a First Division winners' medal to his 1997 Scottish Cup badge as Dunfermline Athletic made sure he was recognised for his efforts in securing the title last spring.
The former Pars man missed out when the regulation 20 medals were handed over however, the East End Park club did not settle for that with the former Par saying: “Jim McIntyre came through and presented me with my First Division winners' medal recently as I never got one at the end of last term.
“Winning the League was great and I was gutted at not getting one at the time. The club received 20 medals and there were players with more appearances than me but I have now finally added to the Scottish Cup winners' medal.
“For Dunfermline to go out of their way and arrange one was fantastic. I missed a lot of last season due to injury but I was Jim's first signing when he became the Dunfermline Manager so there may have been something in that. It was a real boost for me to get one.”
Burke’s contribution to Dunfermline’s success is well remembered by their fans as he added: “I did score last season and it was a belter against Dundee at Dens Park from 25 yards so I am sure that helped as well.
“Maybe I will score one like that against St. Mirren.”
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St. Mirren winger, Gary Teale, has enjoyed many career highlights since his career began at Clydebank over 16 years ago, including being part of a Scotland side that defeated France at Hampden as well as playing in the English Premiership, but he was given a new lease of life when he joined St. Mirren in the summer.
Teale moved from the Bankies to Ayr United in October 1998 on his way to international and top flight football in England and he is delighted to be facing one of his old side’s in tonight’s Scottish Community League Cup tie.
The 33-year-old said: “It is a great Draw for me and I enjoyed being back at Somerset Park in pre-season for a game just after I came back up the road. I have a lot of fond memories about being at the club and I am really looking forward to playing against them.”
There were certainly ups and downs during Teale’s time as he explained: “I was there for just over three years and it was a good time although it was disappointing never to get promoted to the SPL.
"We had Hibs in the First Division against us one year and a big spending Livingston side another year but we had great success in cup ties.”
One cup tie and one penalty stick out as great memories with Teale saying: “I played in the famous 1999 Scottish Cup game when Ayr defeated Kilmarnock 3-0 and Andy Walker ‘dinked’ in his penalty, in fact, it was me that was brought down for it. The cup tie atmosphere was always great at Somerset Park and they will probably be disappointed that the game is at my new club’s place.
“New St. Mirren Park is a great facility so we can have no excuses for not playing well in terms of facing a cup tie atmosphere and the Ayr fans roaring them on behind the goal as they do at Somerset. They had a great result against Hearts and will be looking to do the same in this game.”
Teale is loving life back over the border after leaving Sheffield Wednesday in the summer as he explained: “Returning to Scottish football has been great and I am delighted that the Manager and his assistant, Tommy Craig, want us to play good football. They are getting the young players to play that way as well and whilst we have been doing well, there is a long way to go.”
The 13 times capped player announced he was back with a thunderous goal when St. Mirren defeated local rivals Morton 4-3 in the Second Round of The Scottish Communities Cup with Teale saying: "It was great to score in a derby game. It was a very good goal but basically, I just shut my eyes and hit it and it found its way into the back of the net. A repeat of that goal would be great but a win for St. Mirren and securing a Semi-Final place is more important.”
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Another former Paisley striker who will be visiting New St. Mirren Park for the first time will be Ayr United's Mark Roberts. For the 35-year-old, it will also be his first game at his former club’s new home but it will complete a unique set for the player who also started his career at Kilmarnock’s Rugby Park.
Roberts explained: “Playing in this game would see me complete the set of playing at every Scottish ground. When I include pre-season friendlies, New St. Mirren Park is the only ground I have not played at. I have been everywhere else but not New St. Mirren Park.
“I played for the club for three or four months in 2003 when they were at Love Street but I did not really enjoy it and it was my fault. I needed a kick up my backside in terms of my career and no matter how many times big John Coughlin tried to give me one, I was too pig headed to accept it. Thankfully, I am older and wiser now.”
Roberts, who has also grabbed goals for Falkirk, Raith Rovers, Airdrieonians, Irish side Shelbourne, Airdrie United and Partick Thistle in his career, is pleased that Brian Reid’s side are again showing their cup fighting skills.
“We have done really well in this season’s competition and certainly the old adage of raising your game against bigger teams has been true,” said Roberts before adding, “We will need to raise our game again as St. Mirren are doing well and getting a deserved point at Ibrox against Rangers recently shows what they are capable of.”
Roberts scored the decisive kick in the penalty shoot-out in the last round against the Tynecastle side and he said: “It was a great feeling to knock out Hearts as they thought they could run over the tops of us with a weakened team. It did not work out that way and the record books show that we won.”
Roberts is hoping to add a good run in The Scottish Communities League Cup to his footballing CV by knocking out St. Mirren as he explained: “This is a really big game for us and for me. I was at Kilmarnock when they reached the Scottish Cup Final in 1997 and have been involved in a few Challenge Cup Finals but never even reached the Semi-Finals of the League Cup so it would be great to do that this week.
“It will be hard to do so as we are a part-time side up against a full-time side and there is a difference. We train twice a week and they train twice a day but that is the cards we have been dealt and we will just get on with things.
"We will go there and see what we can do.”
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