Ayr United have confirmed the loan signing of Stephen Kelly from Rangers. It’s an acquisition that will complete the United midfield.
He joins the Honest men on a season-long loan deal. He is the latest midfield signing in the space of a week, having secured a loan deal for promising Aberdeen midfielder Frank Ross earlier in the transfer window.
Kelly joins on a season-long loan. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Ian McCall now has some of the best midfield options in the Scottish Championship.
Kelly and Ross are great midfield picks, but they are only short-term solutions for Ayr
Ayr are probably glad to have Kelly, given how much he impressed against them in a recent friendly.
A Rangers XI took on Ayr at the Hummel Training Centre recently. Kelly scored three after coming on as a half-time substitute, with Rangers going on to hammer the Somerset Park side 6-1. Kelly’s third was a brilliant free kick.
Ayr were hammered by a Rangers XI. (photo by David Young/Action Plus via Getty Images)
Kelly has shown Ayr what he’s capable of going forward, but equally, he is decent in the tackle. Alongside attacking midfielder Ross, the loan pair could create a brilliant partnership.
With experienced Honest Men like Mark Kerr and Steven Bell, the loans will benefit both Ayr and their two loan starlets. They get two promising youngsters whilst the midfield duo get to learn about the demands of first-team football alongside experienced pros.
The only thing about this is they are both temporary fixes. They will look to emulate the likes of Robbie Crawford who recently departed the club for Livingston. Even if they manage to do that, McCall will be looking for replacements as soon as January.
McCall only has short-term soloutions. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
These two loan deals are still decent for the Honest Men. It completes their midfield as they prepare for their 2019/20 Championship season.