ROAR US TO SAFETY
McCall asks for fan power lift for vital clash
Ian McCall has begged for one last rush at the Somerset Park turnstiles – as Ayr United enter the last chance saloon. The boss ( left) reckons a rocking atmosphere inside the grand old lady could help The Honest Men pull off stage one of their great escape on Saturday. United welcome Premier League- bound Hibs in a clash that could set up a last day shootout at Raith Rovers. And McCall says the United faithful can play their part as the 12th man on the most important day of the season.
He said: “The fans have been tremendous and it would have been great to give them a win to cheer on Saturday.
“But first and foremost, it’s up to us to give them something and we’ll be doing everything we can against Hibs – we have no option but to go for it now.
“Our teams in the last few weeks have been very attacking with the likes of McGuffie, Forrest, Harkins and Moore all featuring. All we can do is win the game and give ourselves the chance.”
McCall concedes that a string of “frustrating” results has left United with it all to do going into the final two fixtures. But he said: “I’ve been analysing the last run of games and, with the exception of one or two, we’ve actually played well.
“The Queen of the South game when we lost at Somerset was just baffling. But that apart, we’ve competed well and it’s frustrating to find ourselves where we are.”
Hibs head to Somerset off the back of Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi- final defeat to Aberdeen after which Neil Lennon labelled his side “pathetic”.
The Hibees are due to face Ayr’s relegation rivals Raith tonight ( Wednesday) in a game with vital significance for the drop.
And McCall has rubbished any notion that his good friend across the dugout will take Saturday’s game lightly. He insisted: “It doesn’t matter who you play at this time of the season, you can still expect a good test.
“I’m sure after Neil’s reaction on Saturday, they will come down here with a big point to prove.
“They are clearly the best team in the league but, at the same time, we have beaten them this season so we have to take confidence from that.”
United could be at full strength for the first time in months with Jamie Adams, Robbie Crawford and Farid El Alagui all back in the reckoning.