Tributes have been paid to an Ayr United stalwart who lost his life on Sunday at the age of 60.
Joe ‘Jofus’ Lumsden was one of Somerset Park’s best known – and best loved – faces.
He was a mainstay of the ground’s wheelchair section over the years, never letting his disability come in the way of watching his beloved Honest Men.
Club historian Duncan Carmichael recalls: “Joe was an incredible character for whom Ayr United will be far poorer without.
“He would regularly travel to away games by taxi and thought nothing of going to places like Motherwell in a cab to follow the team.
“That was Joe...dedicated beyond belief.
“He was a qualified referee and was always hugely knowledgeable about the laws of the game.
“I once saw him running the line at the Old Racecourse in the Land O’Burns tournament – and he was doing it all in his wheelchair.
“That summed up Joe, nothing got past him.”
As a member of the Honest Wheelies, Joe travelled the country with fellow United fans following his Ayr heroes.
Duncan added: “The Wheelies were a Godsend to Joe and he loved their trips.
“His face was synonymous with that wheelchair section and I know a suggestion has already been made that it should be renamed in his honour.
“It’s a fitting thought because he is going to leave behind a huge void.”
Long time friend Calum Campbell, part of United’s in-house media team, admits Joe was “one of a kind”.
He said: “A group of us would meet up every week at Geordies Byre for a chat and we called ourselves the ‘Byristas’.
“Joe was such an integral part of that group and was a hugely positive figure.
“He solidly believed in the laws of the game and we spent many hours having fascinating debates.
“Despite battling ill health for a number of years, you would never have known it from Joe’s outlook on life.
“They broke the mould with him and he had so much enthusiasm for life and for Ayr United.
“Somerset will be a far sadder place without his presence.”
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