Ayr United taste Co-op Cup defeat by Elgin City

Aug 6 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

IT will go down as one of the darkest days in Ayr United's 100 year history.

Mirroring a Scottish Cupdefeat at the same northern outpost 43 years earlier.

Veteran Honest Men can still recall the wet winter's night in 1967 when Elgin, then of the Highland League, beat Ayr 2-0 to send them crashing from the Scottish Cup.

This time, it was the Co-op Cup at stake as ten man United tumbled to a shock 3-2 defeat against a team that finished second bottom of the Third Division last season.

The loyal band of travelling fans who made the 450 round trip were badly short changed as once again indiscipline came home to haunt Ayr.

A double yellow card for Jonathan Tiffoney after 38 minutes, followed by bookings for six others, shows the Somerset hot heads must learn to cool it.

Ayr couldn't have wished for a better start. With only 17 minutes gone, Stephen McKeown pounced after an Andy Rodgers shot had been parried.

But Ayr shot themselves in the foot seven minutes before the break when Tiffoney picked up a second caution for a foul on ex-Ayr man Allan Dempsie.

Ayr were forced to reorganise a minute later when Rodgers went off to be replaced by 18-year-old on loan Hibs midfielder Scott Taggart.

A hammer blow hit Ayr three minutes before the break when Martyn Campbell put in a foolish second challenge on Craig Gunn who wrong footed David Crawford with the resultant penalty.

United had to make a second switch in 51 minutes when Taggart went off with an ankle knock to be replaced by Ross Robertson.

Scott McLaughlin, Alan Trouten and Stephen Reynolds all had goal efforts before Gunn rocked Ayr for a second time in 68 minutes, firing Elgin ahead from close range.

Ayr's last throw of the dice came in 73 minutes when Aaron Connolly replaced Reynolds. And the youngster took only three minutes to make his mark, as he lashed the equaliser into the top corner and then was harshly booked for celebrating as he dashed behind the goal.

Ayr's battling ten now chased the win and Connolly headed wide from a McLaughlin corner before cracking another effort wide.

With stalemate persisting, the game entered extra-time and seemed destined for penalties as it entered the final minute.

But with only 39 seconds remaining, Ayr were cruelly undone when giant sub Paul Millar collected a chipped forward pass and was all alone as he cooly steered home the winner.

The goal sparked wild scenes of jubilation among the Elgin fans who enjoyed only a handful of home league wins last season.

And it meant a gloom filled long road home for all with black and white connections.

ELGIN - Dunn; Inglis, Dempsie, Kaczon, Niven, Wilson (Cameron 106), O'Donoghue, Nicolson, Gunn, Crooks (Millar 83), Frizzel. Unused subs: Robertson, Edwards, MacDonald. Booked: Kaczan, Niven, Nicolson.

AYR - Crawford; Tiffoney, Campbell, Smith, Easton; Trouten, McLaughlin, McKeown, Roberts; Rodgers (Taggart 39), Reynolds (Connolly 73). Unused subs: McWilliams, Woodburn; Booked: Tiffoney, Smith, Trouten, McLaughlin. Robertson, Roberts, Connolly; Sent off: Tiffoney.

Referee - David Somers; Crowd - 594.