Can someone put a stop to this misery?

Jan 3 2008 Ayrshire Post

WOEFUL Ayr bade farewell to 2007 with another calamity show and are now staring down the barrels of their worst season for decades.

The Third Division beckons if Ayr can't halt an alarming slump which has brought only one point from seven games.

Brechin couldn't believe their luck as they galloped to their easiest win of the season against a clueless team that has hopelessly lost the plot.

Furious boss Brian Reid branded the performance as embarrassing and said the players should apologise to the travelling fans.

Reid hit out: “Embarrassing is the only word to describe us. I feel for the supporters who travelled a long way.

“The players should apologise to the fans for a performance that wasn’t acceptable.”

Only a handful of Ayr fans made the long trip to Glebe Park but they were reading the same old script after only two minutes. Charlie King and Calum Smith both had shots blocked before up stepped Gary Fusco to drive the ball home from 15 yards.

Brechin piled on the pressure as Ayr's ragged defence was blown all over the place. Ryan Stevenson tried to buck the trend with a free-kick which Chris Robertson headed wide. The same pair combined again but this time Robbo shot over from Stevenson's low cross.

Any hopes of a fightback were killed stone dead five minutes after the interval when the giant Scott Walker headed home a Stuart Callaghan corner, yet another goal conceded from a set piece.

There was a brief glimmer when Stevenson raked in a 20 yard free-kick after Alex Williams had been bundled by Scott Walker. But that notion was blitzed as Brechin scored three goals in a red hot four minutes.

In 66 minutes, Calum Smith shot into the bottom corner. A minute later, Kevin Byers rammed home a Darren Smith cross and the misery was sealed with a Callaghan penalty after David Dunn fouled Calum Smith.

STAR MEN: ***Dean Keenan; **Ryan Baldacchino; *Ryan Stevenson.

BRECHIN: C. Nelson; Murie, White, S. Walker (Ward 85), King (Janczyk 81), Callaghan, Byers, A. Nelson, Fusco, D. Smith (Gribben 77), C. Smith. Unused subs: R. Walker, McCluskey.

AYR: McGeown; Pettigrew, Forrest, Henderson, Dunn; Stevenson, Marshall (Weaver 63), Keenan, Baldacchino (Vareille 80); Williams, Robertson (Wardlaw 69). Unused subs: Woodburn, Stewart.

Referee: Crowd: 545.