Gareth Wardlaw is denied penalty as Ayr United draw with Livingston

Oct 21 2011 by Mike WIlson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

GARETH WARDLAW was adamant he should have had a penalty as Ayr lifted themselves off the foot with a hard earned point.

Wardlaw went down under a challenge from a Kyle Jacobs, who was booked.

But to the amazement of the home camp, referee Steven McLean awarded only a free-kick at the edge of the area.

Wardlaw, who made a big impact after coming off the bench, insisted: "I thought I was in the box.

"Mark Roberts clipped in a great ball and I don't think the defender saw me coming. He clipped me so I was expecting a penalty."

Wardlaw replaced Jamie McKernon after an hour and immediately was in the thick of the action.

He admitted: "Going two up front worked better for us. The most important thing is we were hard to beat.

"We really needed to get something from the game and use it as a building block to move on."

The game was overshadowed by a sickening clash between Chris Smith and Kevin Cuthbert with two minutes to go.

Smith was stretchered off to hospital after swallowing his tongue and taking Cuthbert's knee in his mouth. The keeper, who also received lengthy treatment, got stitches.

Boss Brian Reid groaned: "The players are going down like flies. It was a scrappy affair and not a game for the purists."

Livi had the better chances in a dreary first half which took a long time to get going.

New boy Mark Fotheringham, who left Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta in the summer, scraped the top of the bar with a 25 yarder after 23 minutes.

The former Dundee man also had a deflected drive which flew just wide and was behind a wicked free-kick which caused a stir in the home penalty box.

The Lions again showed their menace when Bobby Barr skipped past three challenges before whipping in a cross which John Robertson was relieved to slice over his own bar.

Ayr's best early chances came from a Michael McGowan free-kick which was just too high while the overlapping Jonathon Tiffoney raked in a shot that wasn't far off target.

Tiffoney was behind Ayr's best move of the first half when he made space in the box before rifling in a shot that flew just wide of Andy McNeil's right hand post.

Ayr began the second half with Tiffoney again driving forward down the right but the visitors were soon back in their stride.

Marc McNulty just failed to control an Iain Russell cross that would have given a good opening.

Livingston almost took the lead in 58 minutes when Cuthbert needed two efforts to keep out a Bobby Barr shot that looked set for the net.

Ayr responded with a McGowan header which hit the top of the bar from a Roberts cross.

The big talking point came in 66 minutes when Wardlaw went down under a Jacobs challenge seemingly inside the penalty area.

But to the fury of the home fans, they had to make do with a free-kick which came to nothing.

Wardlaw's arrival beefed up the attack and he rose to head just wide from an Alan Trouten cross.

Eddie Malone then had a header from a corner blocked on the line as Ayr chased the winner.

Livi boss Gary Bollan claimed: "I thought our possession was better but we lacked a bit in the final third.

"We have to start turning draws into wins. One point is not good enough."

AYR: Cuthbert; Tiffoney, Malone, J. Robertson, Smith (Burke 90), Geggan, Trouten (R. Robertson 80), McKernon (Wardlaw 60), Moffat, Roberts, McGowan. Subs: McWilliams, Connolly.

LIVINGSTON: McNeil; Kyle Jacobs, Talbot, Fotheringham (Sinclair 87), C. Barr, Watson, Fox, Scougall, McNulty (Deuchar 77), Russell (Boulding 69), B. Barr. Subs: Jamieson, Docherty.

Referee: Steven McLean.

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