Ayr United 2-Kilmarnock 2: Honest endeavour sets up replay

Published on Saturday 10 January 2009 19:21

Ayr United 2 Keenan 15; Williams 90 Kilmarnock 2 Pascali 10, Bryson 54

IT WASN'T poetry, but it was poetic. In the year when the Scottish Cup has acquired the Homecoming label to mark the celebrations for the 250th anniversary since Robert Burns' birth, Ayr making an impression on the competition seemed fated. But the best laid plans appeared dashed when Kilmarnock took a 2-1 lead into the last minute of their epic, all-Ayrshire, no-concession-to-modernity fourth round tie. Only for the Somerset Park team to provide a seconds-remaining conclusion that was the stuff of stirring verse, enough for any chronicler of Scottish life on the west coast to reach for their quill. A replay's a replay for a' that.

In what appeared certain to be their final chance of saving the encounter, an increasingly desperate home side won a corner on the left that was swung over by Chris Aitken and slapped out unconvincingly by Kilmarnock keeper Damian Rascle. It fell to substitute Alex Williams at the edge of the area and, only five minutes on the field, he supplied a corkingly composed finish by steering a first-time effort in at the far corner, only seconds after hoisting a better chance way over the bar as Ayr threw everything forward in a courageous late flurry.

The Second Division side should have been lamenting their lot by then, but were kept in the tie by a lamentable penalty from Alan Russell with 15 minutes remaining. It wasn't so much that Stephen Grindlay saved his effort as the striker trickled it toward the goal, allowing the Ayr keeper to smother it gratefully. By that stage, with the Premier League side having put themselves within touching distance of the fifth round courtesy of a Craig Bryson 54th minute strike, the encounter had become all teeth-gritting and endless- endeavour.

There was nothing cagey about Jim Jefferies' post-match analysis. The Rugby Park manager, unsurprisingly, pinpointed the penalty save as the pivotal moment. If taken, he was convinced his team would have "gone on to win comfortably". "Ayr got a massive lift from that but we are not out." Jefferies believes that their progress has merely been delayed until they host their lower league rivals a week on Tuesday. "It won't be easy, they have nothing to lose but we might just finish them off. They might just have had their chance today. They are fortunate to be still in the cup."

Equally unsurprisingly, Ayr counterpart Brian Reid took a different view. "The draw was the least we deserved," he said. "If we had lost it would have been a travesty. They do say smaller teams only get one chance but we would like to put that to rest."

There was no doubting that all forms of devilishly compelling derby life were to be found in Ayrshire yesterday. The enmity between the clubs runs deeper than many derby rivalries. Precisely why Somerset Park was packed; the game only the second in Scotland this season – after last week's last day of Love Street – played to a genuine sell-out crowd that did not involve the Old Firm.

The 9,280 punters inside the Capstan and flat-cap era ground lashed by a constant downpour came to vent their spleens as much as will their team to victory.

Games between the pair have been rationed in recent times, which could be a source of relief to Kilmarnock followers. They were no doubt sick hearing all week how the last four meetings between the team had finished with Ayr victories. The likelihood of that run continuing was reduced no more than a smidgen when the Rugby Park men ended a 15-year wait for a goal against their rivals only 10 minutes into an encounter initially contested at an outrageous pace.

In what was to prove a telling feature of the confrontation, inability to defend an angled ball into the box did the damage. Following a corner, David Fernandez swung a ball in from the right channel that found Bruno Pascali via a miskick from Russell, the Italian kneeing the ball over the line.

The equaliser five minutes later owed much to a similar simple tactic and similar line-clearing deficiencies. From the right again, Ryan Stevenson was this time the provider of the in-box delivery, a Brian Prunty flick-on allowing Dean Keenen to force in from close range. After Ayr's Scott Walker missed a glorious opportunity to head Reid's side into the lead two minutes later, the crashing commitment of both sides frankly gave way to a crashing bore of a last 20 minutes before the interval.

A win from Jefferies' side was expected. It looked on after the visitors made good on a enterprising start to the second half from the moment Bryson played the ball out wide right to Willie Gibson, raced forward into the box, and poked the return past Grindlay.

When Gary Hay was hauled down by Neil McGowan, the keeper's stop allowed Ayr to think, just maybe. Prunty tried like a bear to fashion an opening but Kilmarnock seemed resolute. In succumbing, another engrossing joust surely waits on January 20. By rights, they should rip up the fixture calendar and play it on January 25.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Not only did he provide many of the rare moments of class, David Fernandez was even willing and able to do the dirty work required from any derby. The Spaniard even bullied the centre-backs, for goodness sake.

QUICK FACT

Ayr are now unbeaten in the last five Ayrshire derbies. Not since the Scottish Cup third round tie of January 29, 1994 have Kilmarnock got the better of them.

TALKING POINT

The tie turned on Alan Russell's penalty that was saved and Jim Jefferies will no doubt have words with how casual the striker seemed to be in his approach to so crucial a kick.