AYR WILL AIM HIGH
Chairman says club is making strides on and off the pitch
His Ashleigh construction company carries the motto “Raising Standards”.
Now at Ayr United, David Smith is determined to keep setting the bar ever higher.
Championship survival, allied to impressive off the park progress, ended a rollercoaster season at Somerset Park.
And with a positive summer of business already well underway the chairman insists his long term plan to restructure is well on course.
He told the Post: “The infrastructure at the club wasn’t right when I came in and I always knew I wanted to change things.
“Football is full of chancers who say they will do this or do that and I never wanted to be one of those people.
“But until you actually deliver something, it will only ever be noise or chat.
“So I was determined to come in and deliver something quickly and make people sit up and take note.
“Building the Hub was important in that respect – without that we do not have Graeme Mathie, Martin Tocker, Lee Bullen or Keith Glendinning.
“If I’m talking the talk and then showing people into the old portakabins in the car park, it simply wouldn’t be right.
“So I think I’ve earned a currency by investing in the bricks and mortar of the club.
“We’ve stuck up a three quarters of million pound facility which shows we are serious about this club moving forward.”
The December appointment of Mathie as managing director has acted as a catalyst to drive the club in a new direction.
And Smith admits it was the long overdue step that has brought about a whole new air of professionalism down Tryfield Place.
He said: “Graeme and I came across each other’s paths at just the right time and what he’s doing for this club cannot be underestimated.
“He is a better guy at football than I am.
“I would argue there’s nobody better to run my business than me – but there’s nobody better to run Ayr United than Graeme Mathie.
“The processes he’s putting in place at the club are making a huge difference.
“Simple things like holding weekly staff meetings are helping to give everyone a voice, whereas before that wasn’t the case.
“Fraser MacIntyre is another key figure who’s brought so much to the club since his arrival on the board.
“Having these people allows me to take that step back that was required.”
Smith revealed: “I hadn’t enjoyed my first year as chairman and there were probably a couple of times I even regretted what I’d done.
“But if you said to any fan... there’s a bag of money and you can be chairman, I think most would love to have a go.
“So at times when I was getting criticism, it could be hard and did take me by surprise a bit.
“Initially I would take that home with me, because I’m a fan myself who’s trying his best.
“You just come to realise it’s the nature of things and I think the majority can see
the progress we’re making.”
Smith added: “The culture of the club has completely changed.
“I don’t find a lot of negativity around the place anymore and we’ve had that for years and years.
“Now we have a positive environment and creativity and that’s what we need to be as a club.”
Smith, 50, who began life on the terraces as a young fan is now living the dream
of many supporters.
But he insists he will never endanger their future to pursue the Holy Grail.
He said: “I want to see the club pushing towards the Premier League just the same as the fans do.
“But I’ve always said it won’t happen overnight.
“We’ve made some mistakes with appointments which was disappointing but it’s about striving to improve all the time.
“If you look at what Lee did in the second half of last season compared to before Christmas, we are making clear strides and have a far more rounded squad now.
“I’ve always been clear that we will build in the right way and leave a legacy here.
“Our budget will be very competitive again next season in what will be an extremely open league.”
The chairman added: “One of the biggest things for me in the second half of the season has been giving 200 free tickets to schoolkids every week.
“Hearing them sing their made up Ayr songs from the family stand has been fantastic and is something we’ve been missing for years.
“That gives you hope that we’re starting to reconnect again.
“Our community work is better than it’s ever been.
“From the strollers, to the weight classes to the walking football...we are getting out there in so many ways.
“Results on a Saturday will always be the most important thing, and of course I understand that, but we now get that there is so much more that goes into the culture of a successful football club.”
Ben Dempsey says he wants to repay Ayr United’s faith after committing his long-term future to The Honest Men.
The Londoner, who spent the second half of last season on loan from Charlton, was only able to start seven games after a thigh injury curtailed his initial Somerset stint.
But Ayr chiefs moved quickly to snap up the all energy midfielder with a three year deal confirmed this week.
It marks a significant statement of intent from both club and player, with Dempsey insisting his focus now is on making a lasting impact under Lee Bullen.
Dempsey told the Post: “It’s a big statement from the club and I’m determined to repay the faith they’re showing in me.
“I was gutted to get the injury as I was just starting to build up momentum when it happened.
“So to get this deal done is brilliant and it feels great to have the club put that belief in me.
“Now it’s up to me to show that decision was correct and I want to have a really successful three years here.”
Dempsey was known to
Bullen from the English Under 23 setup and his arrival helped transform Ayr’s problem midfield area.
“The manager is a joy to work for – just turning up to training is enjoyable and the lads all feel that way,” said Dempsey.
“You can see we’re already getting a good group signed for next season and hopefully with a sharp start we’ll be able to push on from there.
“I can see the potential here and that’s what made it a no brainer for me to commit my future.”
And Dempsey has told how even his own family are already signed up to the cause following his short time as an Honest Man.
He smiled:“My mum and dad, Lawrie and Caroline, have always been great supporters of my career and have probably only missed a handful of my games since I was six years old.
“They’re already huge Ayr fans and were even up at Queen of the South near the end of the season while I was injured!
“They’ve got a lot of long trips ahead of them but I’m sure they’re looking forward to it.”