ALLY MacLeod, no doubt watching from the great dug-out in the sky, would have loved this occasion. Two goals up from the first leg in midweek, United made this First Division Play-Off semi-final safe when Second Division Player of the Year Brian Prunty gave them a tie-winning three-goal lead after 15 minutes. In such a situation the original Super Ally would have smiled and joked through the remaining 75 minutes.
Not so Brian Reid, his latest successor in the Somerset Park hot seat. "I'm better now," the young Ayr manager revealed after living on his nerves throughout the game.
"Perhaps we were caught between two stools – did we keep attacking, or sit in
? After that early goal I was sure we'd cruise it," he said. "But credit to Brechin, they made us fight for it and we'll face another keen fight in the final against Airdrie United. We maintained our season-long unbeaten home record in the league, we scored three goals, so I've got to be happy."
Opposite number Jim Duffy never likes losing, but he too had reason to be pleased with his team's contribution to a cracking game.
"It came down to fractions of difference, but that's football; I don't think we deserved to lose, but, with just 13 fit men, we had a go when, having lost 2-0 at home in the first leg it would have been easy to cop out. That speaks volumes for our guys and with the spirit in the camp I'm confident about next season – if I can get some extra quality in. We finished third in our league and I'm sure, if I can, for instance, get a partner to play off Rory McAllister we can do better."
McAllister, a Scotland Under-21 player when with Inverness Caledonian Thistle; stole the show here. He scored both Brechin goals and was inches from a hat-trick. He said: "If that third one had gone in, it would have been interesting.
"But Stephen Grindlay did well to keep my shot out and I wish Ayr well in the final. For me it's been great to be playing every week, but maybe this was a game too far for us. Now I'm looking forward to next season."
Prunty prodded Ayr ahead in 15 minutes; McAllister scored a breakaway equaliser before half- time, before converting a penalty early in the second half. Grindlay then denied him a tie-levelling third, before two goals in two minutes, from Kevin Connolly in 70 minutes and skipper Chris Aitken in 72, set Ayr up for the two-legged final, against Airdrie United, on Wednesday night at Somerset Park, then New Broomfield on Saturday.
The full article contains 466 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
