Match Report - By John Hoey

Ayr United 2 Brechin City 2

Brechin City and Ayr United shared the spoils in an incident-packed game at Somerset Park which ended 2-2.

City opened the scoring in the 36th minute when Andy Jackson bundled the ball over the line but Ayr hit back after the break and scored two goals within five minutes through Brian Gilmour and Jon Paul McGovern.

The Honest Men then laid siege to the City only to be denied by a number of fantastic saves from Graeme Smith who was in outstanding form but City weathered the storm and Paul McLean earned them what could be a vital point when his cross from the left eluded everyone to end up in the back of the net.

City then had substitute Calum Tapping dismissed by referee Andrew Dallas for a second bookable offence but they held on for a very hard won point.

Brechin City boss Ray McKinnon made two changes to the team that drew with Peterhead on Tuesday night with Ryan Ferguson and Robert Thomson coming in for the suspended Colin Hamilton and Bobby Barr.

Ayr started the game really well and had lots of pressure in the opening stages.

Good build-up play after seven minutes ended with Robbie Crawford firing in a shot from around 20 yards which was easily held by Smith and a minute later the keeper was called into action again to hold a diagonal drive from Brian Gilmour.

The hosts kept pushing forward and Craig Murray collected the ball on the right before delivering a dangerous cross into the City box which Smith did well to hold and seconds later another dangerous cross from the right, this time from Craig Beattie was headed clear by Gary Fusco.

A Gilmour free-kick after twelve minutes was well over the bar and seconds later, Beattie did well to twist and turn at the edge of the box before firing in a shot which was saved by Smith.

Ayr, with the very strong wind at their backs were attacking at every opportunity and they came close after nineteen minutes when a cross from the left from Gilmour was just missed at the far post by Beattie.

City were finding it difficult to push forward against the swirling wind but they did manage to break into attack after twenty minutes when Robert Thomson broke free on the right and swung in a cross which was chested out for a corner by Nicky Devlin and seconds later, a Jackson drive was blocked by the home defence.

Thomson did well to create space for himself in the Ayr box four minutes later but his pass across the face of the penalty-area was blocked by the home defence and shortly afterwards City won a free-kick at the edge of the box but Jamie Masson's kick was blocked by Ayr's defensive wall.

The Honest Men hit back with Gilmour and Michael Donald both sending shots wide of the target but City again pushed forward to grab a dramatic opener after thirty six minutes.

Ryan Ferguson played a delightful ball through to Andy Jackson who kept his composure in the face of intense pressure to force the ball past David Crawford in the home goal with attempts by the Ayr defence to clear the ball off the line unsuccessful.

City pushed forward again seeking to add to their tally and In the 40th minute, Thomson broke free on the right before drilling in a shot which was wide of David Hutton's right-hand post.

Play then swung in the other direction with Jordan Preston looking certain to score two minutes before the break when he was clean through but Smith brought off a fantastic save to deny him. The hosts came close again a minute later when Gilmour sent in a superb cross from the left for the incoming Beattie but he stumbled as he tried to control the ball and the chance was lost.

Ayr started the second-half in determined fashion and they grabbed the equaliser within four minutes. Robbie Crawford picked up the ball on the left and crossed into the box for Gilmour who headed strongly past Smith, and it was 2-1 Ayr just five minutes later. The ball came into the box for full-back Nicky Devlin who was then sent crashing by Craig Molloy and Jon Paul McGovern stepped up to blast the spot-kick last Smith.

The hosts now pushed continuously forward in an effort to add to their tally and Smith brought off tremendous saves in quick succession from Gilmour and substitute Adam Blakeman and the latter was desperately unlucky to see his pile-driver crash off the crossbar before being cleared shortly afterwards.

City were defending valiantly in the face of almost continuous pressure but they incredibly got themselves back into the game in the 74th minute with a goal from Paul McLean. 'Pabs' made ground on the left before drilling a low ball across the face of the goal which eluded everyone including Ayr keeper Hutton to land up in the bottom corner of the net.

It was an astonishing turnaround for City who had been fighting hard to prevent further goals from Ayr but they were dealt a severe blow nine minutes before the end when Calum Tapping who had been booked just seconds earlier by referee Andrew Dallas was given a second yellow card from the ref for a challenge on Blakeman.

City, regrouped and they held on for a vital point.