INTERVIEW Fowler keen on an all-Ayrshire League Cup semi-final, writes Richard Wilson

There was a wince when Rangers and Celtic were paired with other first division sides, and a scowl after Kilmarnock were drawn against Queen of the South.

Each club represented a potential windfall for Ayr United, with the latter accompanied by the kind of fevered anticipation that stirs a team from its everyday concerns.

Reid will be joined by thousands of other people in the west of Scotland in being captivated by the prospect of an Ayrshire semi-final.

At the same time as Ayr were scoring the late goal that secured a 1-0 win over St Mirren on Tuesday night, Rugby Park was celebrating Kilmarnock’s persistence in eventually overcoming East Fife 2-0.

Fifteen miles separates the two clubs, but so too does the tribal loyalties and passionate conviction of two sets of supporters who live among each other. “It’s hard to say how many fans the clubs could take to Hampden for a semi-final, but there would be a lot of interest.

“Obviously, we’ll take a lot more than they will because we have bigger and better fans. Is that a headline for you?” said James Fowler, the Kilmarnock midfielder, with a laugh. “It’s like any other derby. The fans don’t like each other very much and it’s seen as a massive [game].

“With Ayr being in the lower leagues, the derbies don’t come around often and, when they do, it’s built up to be something special, for the players and both sets of fans.”

Fowler played the last time the two sides met, in the Scottish Cup in January 2009. After a 2-2 draw at Somerset Park, Kilmarnock eventually prevailed 3-1 in a replay at Rugby Park.

Yet in their five meetings before that, stretching back to January 1994, Ayr won three times, and lost only once. A derby tends to skew convention, but Ayr have already proved themselves to be a competent side that can be raised above their normal level of ability by the challenge of facing higher-ranked opponents in the cup.

It is not the possibility of a cup upset that causes the fixture to be so engrossing, but the rousing expectation of a tie that can be grossly compelling. A game between the two sides at Somerset Park or Rugby Park would be a sell-out, so Hampden could expect a healthy turn-out of animated and emotional supporters.

“I’ve not played in any other derby, so I’ve nothing to compare it to,” added Fowler. “There won’t be as many fans as say an Old Firm game, but it doesn’t make it any less important for the fans from Ayr and Kilmarnock. I’m sure if the game comes, it would be great for everyone. My experiences of the Ayrshire derby are mixed. I’ve enjoyed a couple of wins and I’ve also suffered a couple of defeats. It would be a neutral venue, too, which would be something new. Maybe it would be even better in the final if we are kept apart.”

Fowler signed for Kilmarnock in 1997, the year Bobby Williamson’s side won the Scottish Cup. He was also part of the Kilmarnock side that lost 5-1 in the League Cup final to Hibernian in March 2007, and the two occasions act as reminders of the legacy that cup finals can leave, both to the individual and to the wider fan-base.

“[The Scottish Cup winning side] are still regarded as legends here,” says Fowler. “The club has not had great success in the cups over the years, so if we can do something like that, it would make it special for the players who are here.

“My last visit to Hampden was a disappointing day and something I’ll always remember. Hopefully, I can get put it right in the future.

“Sometimes you wonder if you would ever get back, so now we have a wee chance of putting that display in the 2007 final right by getting through.”