Derby Diary
Stewart McConnell • Published 31 Jan 2012 09:30
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THEY came in their droves, some 25,000 of them, clad from head to toe, in some cases in blue and white and black and white. Planes, trains, automobiles and any other form of transport you can think of were commandeered. About a dozen fans, of the rival clubs boarded the train at Troon Railway Station as early as 8.55am. This was the first of many Ayr v Killie express trains.
Some supporters chose to hang back and enjoy some food and drinks in the City Centre while others opted to make their way to the Mecca of Hampden Park via Mount Florida station so they could get close to the action and sample the build-up.
While they were noisy the humour was pretty good and the one group of fans would counter the chants of others with their own songs.
This was the biggest meeting between the two bitter rivals and everyone wanted to make the most of it and soak in the atmosphere as it could well be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
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WHEN the pre-match build up began inside the stadium rival fans greeted the announcement of the other team with some boos and some names from the two clubs' rich histories filed in to take their seats. There was Jim Fleeting, who bossed and played with Killie and lined up with Ayr United strolling in with black and white scarf. Killie Scottish Cup-winning captain Ray Montgomerie then arrived along with another former Rugby Park favourite Jim Cockburn. It wasn't quite daggers drawn but you could sense a bit of rivalry between connections from the two clubs.
For more of Stewart McConnell's Derby Diary see this week's paper.
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