Ayr boss Brian Reid happy with Hampden

Ayr United manager Brian Reid is delighted his club will have a rare day out at Hampden – but has told the players to forget about their tie with derby rivals Kilmarnock.

The League Cup semi-final will be staged at the national stadium despite fears of a small crowd and poor atmosphere at the 55,000 capacity arena.

Killie manager Kenny Shiels initially recommended that the encounter should take place at either Tynecastle or Easter Road, but Reid believes the Scottish Football League have made the right decision.

The Honest Men have ten first division matches before their glamour Hampden date – starting with today’s visit of Morton – and Reid wants his players concentrating fully on the league.

He said: “I think it’s the best decision all-round to choose Hampden. It’s close to everyone in Ayrshire and you’ll get a lot of neutrals coming through for the game as well.

“There was the mention of Tynecastle and Easter Road but you might get more people turning up and I would hate to be limiting people seeing the game. At least with Hampden, everyone that wants to see it will be there.

“With it not being live on BBC that will help the attendance as well. The Ayrshire derby does not come around very often, especially in a semi-final. But I’ve told the players that we need to put that to the back of our heads because we have a lot of important games in the league, that’s our bread and butter.