Kilmarnock manager Kenny Shiels has refused to buy into the idea of Ayr United being underdogs in this weekend's Scottish Communities League Cup semi-final simply because they are a part-time club.
Their boss, Brian Reid, has been keen to stress the differences between Killie and his own Irn-Bru First Division club in the build-up to the last-four clash.
But, having watched Ayr dispose of three Clydesdale Bank Premier League teams already, Shiels insists their opponents are no less capable of booking a place in the final than Kilmarnock.
He said: "I have managed part-time teams against full-time teams and there is no such thing as part-time football. The boys are more professional now, they will have done their work and I guarantee they will have done as much work as us and they will be well rested.
"I've been in that position and what you do, as a manager, is you bring it up all the time to try to use it to take the pressure off your players. And I can see that is happening. We were just waiting for that old chestnut to come out.
"I don't blame Brian for doing that, it's a method of trying to take the pressure off his players. But deep down he knows it's not really a disadvantage. He is working really hard to be the underdog and I can appreciate that."
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