Raith Rovers 3
Ayr United 3
League (Second Division)

Match Report

CAPTAIN marvel Raymond Logan rescued Ayr with a last gasp strike to preserve their unbeaten run which now stands at eight games.

But United undoubtedly let three points slip away after leading 2-0 at the break and playing most of the second half with a numerical advantage.

Defensive frailties were exposed as ten man Raith stormed back to lead before Logan hauled his side level with the last kick of the game four minutes into stoppage time.

Ayr sprung a surprise with their starting line-up, playing in an attacking 3-4-3 formation which saw a rare start for Stuart Boyd.

And the former Glenafton striker had the first real chance during a dull first half when he shot straight at Ally Brown after being played in by Gareth Wardlaw.

Both sides cancelled each other out for large parts of the opening period but United did find the net in the 28th minute with a tremendous effort from Logan.

Andy Reid won a free-kick on the edge of the box after having his shirt pulled by Chris Silvestro and Logan stepped up to curl the ball round the wall and into the bottom corner.

Raith’s response was quick and a Laurie Ellis knock down was met by Scott Crabbe inside the box and as he looked set to pull the trigger, James McKinstry made a superb saving tackle.

But Ayr then took another blow to their already weakened defence when Barry McLaughlin hobbled off with a knee knock to join Martyn Campbell on the crocked list.

However, it did little to deter United as an attacking force and they grabbed their second just before the break.

A Paul Hyslop cross was met by the head of Chris McLeod as he attempted to clear but only succeeded in deflecting the ball on to Wardlaw who pounced at the backpost to head home.

The interval scoreline was perhaps a tad harsh on Rovers but they came out fighting in the second half and were immediately back in the game when Crabbe was given time and space in the box to ram home a shot which took a huge deflection off McKinstry.

The game then opened up and Ayr almost reinstated their two goal lead when Chris Robertson climbed to head a Mark Casey free-kick just wide.

And things were looking up for Ayr on the hour mark when Raith went down to ten men after Paul Hilland picked up a second yellow for a rash foul on the pacey Boyd.

However, the momentum was with the home side despite the loss of their left back and they were quickly on level terms when Brian Fairburn did excellently to cross for Paul McManus to power home a header.

It was Ayr who played like they were down to ten as they clung on to the ropes for dear life and as tensions rose, Raith manager Gordon Dalziel was sent to the stand, much to the joy of the travelling Ayr support, after speaking out of turn to the assistant referee.

But Dalziel got the last laugh as minutes later he watched McManus cross for Neil Jablonski to sink a header at the backpost and seemingly complete the most remarkable of comebacks.

With time ticking down, Ayr’s man advantage began to tell and Wardlaw should have done better when heading wide despite being unmarked 12 yards from goal.

The big striker thought he’d earned United a point in stoppage time when challenging Raith keeper Brown for a high ball and the pair fell into the back of the net, but rather predictably, referee Alan Muir protected the shot stopper and awarded a free-kick.

However, Ayr weren’t done and with four minutes of added time played, sub Craig Conway earned a free-kick on the edge of the box after being tripped.

Logan then stepped up once again and this time lashed his shot through the wall and past Brown like a tracer bullet to get the Honest Men out of jail.

Match report written by Ayr United FC Official Website