Ayr United 3 - 2 Brechin City: Anxious Ayr finally get job done

ON FIRST viewing, this scoreline might suggest a job done without much fuss. However, nothing could have been further from the truth as Ayr almost grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory against an injury-ravaged Brechin (who could include only two subs) to book a place in the First Division play-off final.

Everything seemed straightforward in the early stages as, after 15 minutes, Bryan Prunty applied the final touch for Ayr after Chris Aitken's corner created chaos in the six-yard box.

But with their first real chance, Brechin replied, Rory McAllister using his body and blistering pace to hold off three defenders before sliding the ball home beyond Stephen Grindlay.

This put seeds of doubt into the Ayr players' minds and on 53 minutes Darren Smith chased a lost cause and forced the keeper into conceding a penalty which McAllister converted.

The turning point came on 64 minutes when McAllister burst through and slid the ball past Grindlay, but with the home fans having heart failure, the keeper got back to claw the ball out.

Ayr put the tie to bed with two goals in a couple of minutes – Kenny Connelly bundled home from close range before Aitken bagged a 25-yard screamer.