Match Report - By Secretary

BRECHIN’S WALKING wounded were pushed, pulled and muscled out of it by Ayr in the first leg of the second division play-off.

There was no lack of effort from the City squad but Ayr had more of it, plus a quality that was denied Brechin because of an injury list that got longer with David Murie and Ian Nimmo limping off.

In the opening minute Ayr showed their intentions when Bryan Prunty tried a long range shot that Craig Nelson covered comfortably.

But the City keeper was soon to be more severely tested.

City won the first corner but Martyn Campbell headed away under pressure from Rory McAllister—who was to have a night chasing forlorn hopes.

His frustration was reflected midway through the second half when he was booked for “diving”.

Ayr opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Chris Aitken sidestepped a couple of markers and curled a 20-yarder into the top left corner.

Steven Canning forced his way through the heart of the Ayr defence but his final pass was astray and it illustrated City’s evening—huffing and puffing to little effect against a dominant Ayr side entitled to start counting their chickens.

Mark Roberts, architect of much that was good about the Ayr drive, combined with Chris Aitken to carve open City’s left flank for Ryan Stevenson to draw a great save out of Nelson.

Rory McAllister briefly held out hope City might get some reward for their effort with a long range volley that looked net bound until it took a deflection.

It was to be City’s best and almost last threat to the Ayr goal, while at the other end Nelson performed heroics by plugging the gap when Willie Easton squeezed in a shot as Richard Walker and Barry Smith looked as if they had him covered.

Ayr sealed the result with a penalty on 36 minutes after Prunty went down under a challenge from Smith and Aitken scored from the spot.

Stephen Ettien was booked on 39 minutes and his ineffective contribution came to a close on 69 minutes when he was substituted by the half-fit Kevin Byers.

Duffy had to bring on a couple more walking wounded in the shape of Charlie King and Darren Smith when Murie and Nimmo limped off.

King had not been on long when he chipped the ball into the path of McAllister, whose shot hit the side netting, while Kevin Byer fizzed a shot wide.

It was better from Brechin but they found it hard to make inroads.

Nelson pulled off another fine save on 68 minutes, this time to deny Prunty, who was booked for trying to manhandle the ball into the net as he stumbled in a goalmouth scramble.

Ayr should have added another in the dying seconds when Jon Seely miscued and the ball fell to Kenny Connelly, who sliced wide from 10 yards.

Duffy said, “Ayr are a very, very good side and have got some real quality.

“They were better in all departments.

“We were not strong enough but we worked hard in the second half.

“We did not want the game to go beyond us although Ayr can only throw it away.”