Ayr United sub should have had treble

Feb 27 2009 by Mike Wilson

MARK ROBERTS got Ayr out of jail with a late double but insisted he should have scored a hat-trick.

The former Killie striker couldn't believe his luck when veteran Barry Smith blocked his shot that looked destined to make him treble tops.

Roberts quipped: "Barry fell into it after the ball went by the keeper. I was disappointed not to get a hat-trick but I can't grumble. It was just good to win especially after the poor way we started the game.

"I was disappointed in the first instance not to be playing but Bryan Prunty is the division's top scorer while David Gormley did well with two goals when he came on at Alloa.

"I'm confident I can score at this level and did it with Airdrie and Partick. Even when I was on the bench I was sure we would win it but we'll need to sort out our sloppy starts when we keep giving away two goal leads."

Team-mate Ryan Borris reckoned team spirit was the key to the fightback which saw Ayr roar back from 2-0 down after 28 minutes to win comfortably.

He said: “That's the last three games we've gone 2-0 down but we can't keep doing it or eventually we'll lose as it proved against Alloa, albeit with a controversial decision.

"But we've got great character and all the boys get on like a house on fire. The gaffer makes a point that every six weeks we have a team night out and if you don't make it you get fined. All the boys, even those not stripped, go along and we've had a few good nights out in Ayr and Glasgow."

Just like against Raith and Alloa, Ayr found themselves two goals in arrears before the half-time bovrils had been warmed. Kevin Byers curled a Charlie King cross into the top corner and then Rory McAllister robbed a dithering Scott Walker to slide home the second.

A Martyn Campbell header was cleared off the line before Ayr won a penalty five minutes before the break. John Ward was ruled to have brought down Prunty for a penalty which skipper Chris Aitken slammed in off the post.

Two minutes into the second period, Ayr were level when Ryan Stevenson turned to crack a fierce 25 yarder high into the net.

Ayr now went for the kill but Brechin should have regained the lead when sub Ian Nimmo fired over an open goal when he looked certain to score.

It was a costly miss and Ayr punished them when Roberts, on for Gormley, grabbed two in six minutes, hooking home the first on the turn and slamming home an Aitken free-kick for the clincher.

Boss Brian Reid quipped: "We're giving teams two goals of a start to make things more exciting for the fans but it's certainly not good for my heart or hair.

"It was another poor first-half performance and there were a few backsides kicked at half-time. We need to get out of the habit of giving teams two goals of a start but there is no rhyme or reason for it."

STAR MEN: ***Mark Roberts; **Neil McGowan; *Martyn Campbell.

AYR - Grindlay; Keenan, Walker, Campbell, McGowan; Borris, Aitken, Stevenson, Easton (Connolly 55); Prunty, Gormley (Roberts 63). Unused subs: Stewart, Woodburn, Henderson. Booked: Aitken, Keenan.

BRECHIN - Nelson; Walker, Ward, B. Smith, Dyer; Byers, Fusco (D. Smith 75), King (Nimmo 65), Janczyk; Twigg, McAllister (Ettien 75). Unused subs: McCluskey, Murie. Booked: Dyer.

Referee: Craig Thomson; Crowd: 1404.