Lochee tie left Ayr United treading water

Dec 26 2008 by Mike Wilson

RYAN STEVENSON admits junior shock troops Lochee United caught Ayr on the hop in a Thomson Park mudbath.

But he pledged the team would get it right in Tuesday’s replay and set up a Somerset Park cracker against Kilmarnock.

Stevo revealed: “It was a real eye opener for us when we stepped off the bus and saw the state of the pitch. But Lochee are in the Scottish Cup on merit so fair play to them.

“The pitch made it very hard to play and we never really got going. However, if we had taken our chances it would have been a different story.

“The draw means the replay is a massive game for both sides but more so us for with Killie waiting in the next round. It will be great to get back to Somerset and I feel on our home pitch we will be more than capable of taking them.”

Ayr looked to have done enough when Alex Williams cleverly chipped home from 16 yards after being put through by skipper Chris Aitken on the hour.

With the heavy surface cutting up more and more, it looked just a case of running down the clock until Lochee stung Ayr with four minutes to go.

Stephen Grindlay blocked a Paul Blackwood shot with his legs and when the ball spun upwards, Paul Hagen nodded home from point blank range.

Proud Lochee boss Ray McKinnon claimed: “We are a junior team playing against a top quality Second Division side but we didn’t look out of place.

“If it was hard today, it’s going to be ten times harder on a better surface against a good footballing side. But in this game you never give up.”

LOCHEE: Ross; Krobot, Kirk, Hay, McMillan, Dailly, Middleton, Cargill, Thomson, Robertson (Blackwood 71), Hagen. Unused subs: Bruce, Brown, Abbot.

AYR: Grindlay; Keenan, McGowan; Walker, Henderson, Stevenson; Borris (Weaver 55), Aitken, Williams, Gormley (Prunty 75), Agnew. Unused subs: Stewart, Easton.

Crowd: 954. Referee: Brian Colvin.