“In Scottish football clubs are more likely to go part-time than full-time now. The structure is changing because things are stale.
“This type of game will be exciting because it doesn’t come around too often. I know from playing in England [with Burnley and Blackpool] that there’s a freshness when you only play teams home and away once.
“They have a bigger league, with three up and four in play-offs so seven teams are involved in the shake-up.
“Fans want something like that in Scottish football but others are losing their grip because they don’t listen to what the punters want.“Unfortunately, with the size of the divisions, you don’t get too many derbies like this one or the Dundee derby.
“That’s lost revenue for the Scottish game – just ask Dunfermline and Raith Rovers.
“Some of the best games in Scotland aren’t happening at the moment as a result. It would be good if we could play Killie twice a season – it would keep the supporters happy.
“If this had been Kilmarnock v Hibs or Dundee United in the semi-finals there wouldn’t be the same interest because these games happen four times a year.
“People are getting fed up with the same stuff all the time – Celtic played Rangers eight times last year. These are great games, but it does go stale.”
For Ayr and their manager, who also eliminated Hibernian from the Scottish Cup last year, the build-up to the showdown at the national stadium has been a welcome break from the norm.
“I’ve enjoyed this week almost as much as I enjoyed my playing days,” said Reid. “I’m still a relatively young manager and when you first come into management you think you’d rather still be out on the park.
“However, as you get older and stiffer, you get more enjoyment from watching from the side. To take a team like Ayr to this level has been great.
“The players have done really well and everyone’s pulled together with the limited resources at our disposal.
“If we can stay in the First Division then we can look back on the cup run and say it’s been a great season for Ayr United.”