Ayr 2 - 2 Dundee: Dundee denied as Stevenson completes late Ayr comeback

Published on Thursday 15 October 2009 00:01

DUNDEE were set to celebrate reaching the top of the First Division table for the first time this season before they were undone by Ayr United's late fightback.

The home team seemed down and out when two goals in arrears, but certainly deserved their point from their strong finish.

Jocky Scott's side were well worth their half-time lead, given they dominated possession.

This dominance was underlined by a cracking goal in 13 minutes. Leigh Griffiths held off Martyn Campbell on halfway to collect a long clearance, his slipped ball inside to Sean Higgins took out two defenders and the cross-field ball found Craig Forsyth running through untracked to slot past Craig Samson.

Ironically, Tony Bullock was arguably the busier keeper in the first half, making two excellent and one merely good save from a trio of thunderbolt long-range free-kicks from Ryan Stevenson, plus one snap shot from United skipper Chris Aitken. Stevenson also had a terrific volley from a Mark Roberts knock-down deflected for a corner.

However, Griffiths stole the show in the opening period. His movement had the Ayr defence at sixes and sevens while he had one superb run to force Samson to save. The young Scotland B cap also linked up with Forsyth to set-up Sean Higgins at the back post, but his header was palmed away for a corner by Samson. Earlier Forsyth had given early warning of what Dundee might do with a back post headed lay-off to Gary MacKenzie, whose ninth minute effort – the match's first genuine chance – was blocked on the line.

Fifteen minutes into the second half Griffiths scored his tenth goal of the season, one which at that point looked to have sealed what would have been Dundee's first win on the road in the league thus far. United left him unmarked on the left and when Gary Harkins lifted an inch-perfect ball over the home defence to him, the teenager had the simplest of tasks in running through unmarked to beat Samson at his right post.

This was the visitors' first chance of the second half, hitherto since the break, United had been on top, without overly-troubling the Dundee rearguard. Their best chance had actually come from a mis-hit Ryan McGowan 20-yarder, which was deflected inches past for a corner in the 50th minute.

However, Ayr never gave up and set up a fraught final 17 minutes for their visitors when they pulled a goal back in 73 minutes. Ryan Borris' deep cross was met by two Ayr players, both with the Christian name Ryan, but whether McGowan or Stevenson got the final touch is a point of some dispute. Stevenson milked the crowd's acclaim, McGowan got the congratulations from the United bench.

However, there was no stopping Stevenson four minutes from time, when he rose unchallenged at the back post to head home a super overhead kicked pass from substitute David Gormley.

Ayr United: Samson, Keenan, Gibson, Campbell, N McGowan, Borris, C Aitken, Stevenson, R McGowan, Connolly (Gormley 63), Roberts. Subs not used: Prunty, Cawley, Woodburn, Grindlay. Booked: Keenan, Gibson.

Dundee: Bullock, Paton, MacKenzie, Cowan, Malone, Forsyth, Klimpl, Kerr, Harkins, Griffiths, Higgins (McHale 84). Subs not used: Soutar, McMenamin, Lauchlan, Clarke. Booked: Klimpl, Griffiths.

Referee: J McKendrick. Att: 1,710.