Ayr United beat Cowdenbeath in the Alba Cup

Aug 13 2010 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

RELIEVED Brian Reid joked it must have been a full moon as Martyn Campbell sent Ayr on the way to a Tuesday night win.

Skipper Mark Roberts sealed the 2-0victory over Cowdenbeath to take United into the quarter-finals of the Alba Challenge Cup.

And with only three First Division teams left in the hat – Partick, Ross County and Queen of the South – Ayr are scenting a genuine chance of centenary silverware.

Ayr overcame a ropey first-half performance to bury the First Division new boys thanks to their two most experienced players.

Campbell rose high to bullet home a header from Dean Keenan's cross in 63 minutes.

Then Roberts smashed the ball home ten minutes later after the diving Alan Trouten just failed to connect with a cross from teenage sub Aaron Connolly.

Boss Reid was happy to put to bed the memory of Saturday's dismal 2-0 league opener defeat by Brechin.

He said: "It was a much better performance with two well taken goals. It must be a full moon on the night for big Campbell to score with a header from a corner.

"It was good to get a quick chance to put Saturday behind us and hopefully we can take confidence from a clean sheet and two good goals.

"Getting Mark Roberts and Willie Easton back from suspension helped but I thought young Jonathan Tiffoney was again superb. It's good that we can call on younger boys who have a great chance to make a claim.

"Now we need this to kick us on in the league which is our bread and butter and go to Airdrie which is a massive game."

The suspended Andy Rodgers will again miss out while injured duo Scott Taggart and Bobby Donnelly are still struggling.

Only 556 were inside Somerset to see Cowden have the better of a poor first-half. Debut keeper Ryan McWilliams made a superb save to claw away a John Dempster header in 25 minutes.

Then the Fifers wasted a hotly disputed chance to take the lead when they won a free-kick after Keenan's passback was handled by McWilliams.

Before Ayr had time to organise themselves, Colin Cameron slipped the ball to Dempster who shot wide from eight yards.

Ayr sprang to life a minute before the break. Stephen McKeown burst into the box but his shot was superbly tipped over by David Hay.

That set the tone for the second-half and Ayr lifted their game to send Jimmy Nicholl’s men packing.

But they had a late scare when Chris Smith had to boot a Mark McKenzie cross off the line just as it looked like slipping in.

However, Ayr almost grabbed a third at the death when a Roberts shot on the turn was brilliantly turned around the post by the diving Hay.

STAR MEN: ***Jonathan Tiffoney; **Dean Keenan; *Willie Easton.

AYR - McWilliams, Tiffoney, Smith, Keenan, Campbell (Robertson 69), McKeown, Trouten (Woodburn 84) McLaughlin, Reynolds (Connolly 62), Roberts, Easton. Subs: Crawford, Milligan.

COWDENBEATH - Hay; Baxter, Linton (Stewart 82), Armstrong (Fairbairn 73), Winters, Adamson, Ramsay, Cameron, Dempster, O'Brien (Sibanda 61) McKenzie. Subs Roy, Brett.

Referee - Bobby Madden. Crowd - 556.