Hampden point felt like defeat says Reid

Jan 3 2008 Ayrshire Post

DAVID LOWING went from hero to villain as Ayr threw away two Boxing Day points.

Boss Brian Reid claimed the draw felt like a defeat after they spurned good chances for victory.

And he was left bemused by Lowing’s straight red for a lunge on Stuart Kettlewell which looked worth only a yellow at worst.

Ayr bossed a low key first-half and could have scored in only 13 minutes. Ryan Baldacchino fed Alex Williams whose shot crashed off the legs of Alex Cowie.

A minute later, Williams headed over from a Lowing cross.

The heat stayed on as debutant Dean Keenan fired wide after a Williams free-kick was blocked.

Ayr’s pressure paid off in interval injury time when Chris Robertson was fouled by Damiano Agostini at the edge of the box and Lowing fired the free-kick high into the net.

At the start of the second-half, Ayr wasted good chances to put the game to bed.

Robertson shot wide after being set up by Baldacchino. Then Williams headed off the bar after Eddie Forrest nodded on a Ryan Stevenson free-kick.

Good play by the busy Williams then set up Stevenson but he failed to deliver the killer blow.

Ayr paid a heavy price with 12 minutes left when unconvincing Queen’s struck to grab a point.

Paul Cairney swept over a corner and Mark Ferry pounced home to drill home a daisy cutter.

Mark McGeown then made a great save from sub Robert Dunn as Queen’s scented blood.

Then came the red for Lowing which was followed by a mass brawl as tempers flared. But ten man Ayr held on valiantly for a draw which should have been a win.

STAR MEN: ***Murray Henderson; **Dean Keenan; *Ryan Baldacchino.

QUEEN’S PARK: Cowie; Ure (Molloy 70), Dunlop, Sinclair, Agostini (Reilly 79), Quinn (Dunn 59), Kettlewell, Cairney, Ronald, Canning, Ferry. Unused subs: Harty, M. Cairns; Booked: Cowie, Sinclair, Cairney, Ronald.

AYR: McGeown; Pettigrew, Forrest, Henderson, Lowing; Stevenson, Marshall, Keenan, Baldacchino (Dunn 86); Williams, Robertson. Unused subs: Weaver, Vareille, Casey, Stewart; Booked: Keenan, Williamss.

Referee: Callum Murray; Crowd: 810.