STARTER’SORDERS
Bully tells troops to get off to a flier in Pars drop- zone clash
Lee Bullen wants his Ayr players to fly from the traps in their relegation crunch at Dunfermline.
The head coach admits he’s had enough of slow starts forcing United to climb mountains.
And he insists Ayr must be at it from the off as they face the East End Park cauldron.
Bully told the Post: “It’s all set up for a huge game and we’re going there to win.
“There’s no use us sitting back and saying we’ll take a point and move on.
“We need to go there and lay down a marker from early in the game.”
Bullen was visibly angered by Ayr’s latest sluggish start when they fell 2-0 behind against Inverness.
He added: “You could see a nervousness in that first quarter of an hour.
“Players stop doing the basics when it’s like that and before you know it, we’re two goals behind.
Ice star Lewis Gibson skated into Ayr last week to help deliver coaching masterclasses to the region’s brightest young talent.
Lewis, 27, from Prestwick, who represented Great Britain at the Beijing Winter Olympics with partner Lilah Fear, put 58 young skaters through their paces during coaching sessions
“The second half was brilliant and the changes all had an impact – but we can’t keep putting ourselves in that position.
“There comes a time where we need to score first and take charge of a game.
“Hopefully we can do that on Saturday and it allows us to play with a bit more freedom.”
Top scorer Tomi Adeloye, who has been working back to full fitness, once again had a massive impact from the bench against Caley. at Ayr Ice Rink.
The sessions were made possible thanks to generous subsidies from the QTS Group.
Lewis is a member of the firm’s Young Athlete Programme and was only too keen to pass on his tips and advice to the skaters.
See page 44 for the full story.
He and fellow half time sub Daire O’Connor have thrust themselves firmly into contention for starting spots in Fife.
Bullen said: “It’s a good problem to have and we’ve got options going through there.
“We know the kind of atmosphere we’ll face – the place will be bouncing and it will be a great occasion.
“Our fans can really play their part and make a big difference for us, so it’s a rallying call to get as many travelling as possible.”
Ben Dempsey remains sidelined while Andy Murdoch will be assessed this week for the calf strain that kept him out of Saturday.
Jordan Houston is a doubt after limping off early against Caley.
•United’s Player of the Year event will be held after the trip to Dunfermline.
Tickets are still available from the club, priced £35, and those attending can also purchase a bus ticket to Dunfermline for an extra £5.