Agony as final day defeat sends Ayr United down

May 7 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

CRAIG SAMSON blasted referee Charlie Richmond for a 'terrible mistake' as Morton came from behind to sentence Ayr to the drop.

The keeper claimed he was nudged by David Witteveen as he came to punch a cross and that left Stewart Greacen to score with an easy header.

Ayr looked on course for the play-offs after Danny McKay fired them ahead with a super shot from 22 yards.

Junior Mendes then failed with only keeper Colin Stewart to beat. Ryan McGowan had a shot superbly saved while teenage sub Aaron Connolly screwed a shot wide from only four yards.

Boss Brian Reid claimed: "I'm devastated. We should have been 4-0 up. My keeper says he was fouled but whether he was or wasn't, the game should have been done.

"We were by far the better team, outplayed them and just needed a second goal to win. But we didn't get it and then were hit by a sucker punch.”

Furious Samson reckoned Richmond's call changed the whole course of the game.

He claimed: "We were playing for our livelihoods so him getting that decision wrong has ultimately put us down.

"I know it was a foul so he's made a terrible mistake. But we were relegated over the course of the season. It's an awful feeling which I wouldn't wish on anyone.

"Before the game, we thought we had to win 3-0 but with Airdrie losing, 1-0 would have taken us into the play-offs.

"I was relegated with Ross County but today is worse after being ahead and losing. Colin Stewart had an unbelievable save from Ryan McGowan that would have made it 2-0 and killed the game off.

"But we have only ourselves to blame after our unbelievable form slump in the last few weeks."

Roared on by a noisy support, Ayr never allowed jittery Morton to settle and took the lead in 20 minutes when McKay smacked home a superb effort for his fifth of the season.

It should have been 2-0 five minutes before the break when Mendes pounced on a mistake by Greacen. But with only Stewart to beat, he allowed the keeper to parry his shot for a corner.

Ayr went agonisingly close to a second goal in 58 minutes when McGowan thundered in a shot from Dean Keenan's cross only for Stewart to make a fantastic block on the line. McKay wriggled free and had a shot deflected into the side net before Martyn Campbell fired just wide.

With a play-off spot only 13 minutes away, the roof fell in. Samson, whose liking for a punch rather than a clutch cost Ayr more than once this season, failed to make a proper connection and Stewart Greacen prodded the ball over the line.

Connolly came on for cramp victim Alastair Woodburn a minute later and straight away got a bloodied nose. After touchline treatment, he returned to the fray without permission and got booked.

And his nightmare continued when he allowed a perfect cross from Keenan to hit off him and slip wide when it looked a simple tap-in.

If that was bad, worse was to follow. With only four minutes to go and Ayr fully stretched, Kevin Finlayson's cross found Carlo Monti and he slammed home the winner.

Morton boss James Grady said: "I am disappointed Ayr are going down as I enjoyed my three years there and played in their first ever final."

MORTON - Stewart; McGuffie, McKinlay, Shimmin, Greacen, Paartalu (Jenkins 46), Finlayson, Tidser, Simmonds (Graham 72), Witteveen, Monti. Unused subs: MacGregor, Reid, Cuthbert. Booked: Greacen, Monti.

AYR - Samson; McGowan, Gibson, Campbell, Lafferty; Woodburn (A. Connolly 78), Keenan, Bowey, Roberts; McKay, Roberts. Unused subs: Tiffoney, Robertson, Paterson, Grindlay. Booked: Lafferty, Roberts, Connolly.

Referee - Charlie Richmond; Crowd - 3771.