Early League Wins Ellusive for Ayr

Ayr United played a friendly against Gretna at Ryedale Park on 15th August 1983, their first ever visit to the Borders club. Alan McInally, Derek Frye and Alan Smart, who got two, scored in a 4-1 win over the then non-league side. The programme for that day was a one sided sheet of paper with the two teams and some forthcoming fixtures.

Gretna FC came ‘home’ to Scottish Football in season 2002/03, rejoining Scottish football by being elected to the Scottish third division to replace the defunct Airdrieonians. For the previous 50 years they had been playing in Non-League football in the North of England.

Ayr United and Gretna were not in the same division when the Borders side entered the league and it was not until season 2005/06, when United’s relegation and Gretna’s promotion, that the clubs finally met. This second division league fixture on 27th August 2005 was the first ever league meeting at Ryedale Park, Gretna. 

Gretna were top of the league when the sides met but United were also unbeaten so a classic match was expected. The sides didn’t disappoint and United took a sensational 2-0 lead midway through the first half with goals from Wardlaw and Roberston. However, Gretna fought back in the second and pulled the match back to 2-2 giving the 1,195 fans value for money.

Fortunes had changed by the match on 5th November 2005 at Somerset Park with Gretna top of the league and United struggling to hold on to a play off place. The result was a disappointing 3-1 defeat for the honest men. The New Year derby match at Gretna on 2nd January 2006 was a devastating 3-0 defeat for Ayr as Gretna marched towards a second successive league title. The match scheduled for 4th March 2006 at Ayr was postponed but the match programme for that day was used in the re-scheduled match on 21st march 2006. The delay didn’t help Ayr as they fell to a 4-2 defeat by the borders side.

With Gretna’s promotion the clubs didn’t meet again until a pre-season friendly match on 28th July 2007 at Somerset Park, which Ayr did win by 2-1. No matchday programme was produced.