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Match Reports 97-98
All reports are supplied by Kevin McClelland, unless otherwise stated.
Ayr United 1 - 2 Falkirk
Att: 2003
Well it looks like Ayr can give up hope of forming anything like a serious challenge in the league this year as this defeat leaves them in 6th place with 12 points from 12 games. Falkirk were there for the taking but Ayr contrived to gift them 2 goals from nothing and were left chasing the game again and a further headache for Gordon Dalziel is the seemingly serious injury sustained by keeper David Castilla which saw him stretchered off late in the game.
After the performance of Saturday, the fans were looking for more of the same, without the mistakes, but in time-honoured fashion, Ayr somehow managed to create a performance as bad as I have seen all season. It wasn't just the passes going astray and the loose crosses, but more the attitude of some of the players who looked petrified to make a mistake and so passed the ball about like it was a grenade ready to go off. I don't like singling out players for criticism, but surely Ferguson and Robertson, among others, are hanging their heads in shame as I write this. Perhaps their believing their own press a bit too much, perhaps the pressure of being watched by scouts from other clubs is too much? I don't know what it is, but it has to be sorted out before we're drawn into a relegation dogfight. For a club that has spent so much money and brought in 'quality' players, that would be a scandal.
Enough ranting and onto the football. What little there was in evidence was very thinly spread. Falkirk have a tendency to boot the ball up the park and run after it and Ayr, well, they have a tendency to boot the ball up the park and run after it. It's a pity because with talented players like McAllister and Ciardi on show, it could have been so different. Ayr were hemmed in from the kick-off, unable to clear their lines, and put under some heavy pressure. Thankfully the nearest Falkirk came to scoring was a Corrigan cross which allowed McAllister to squander a free header from 8 yards. Henderson sent a looping header just over from a Robertson cross after 15 minutes and Ferguson flicked on a ball to Tom Smith 2 minutes later but his angled finish from 18 yards was into the side netting.
Djaffo lost possession in his own half and almost gifted Falkirk the opener but thankfully, McAllister shot wide from 18 yards and after 26 minutes, Castilla produced a wonderful block to deny Moss a goal with his backpost header. Robertson tried his luck from distance after collecting a throw wide on the right but Ayr were never really linking well up front and many chances broke down due the lack of understanding.
McGown crudely blocked Djaffo on the edge of the box to earn himself a booking and Tam Smith's free-kick was deflected off the wall and out for a corner.
In injury time for the first half, the match livened up, but for all the wrong reasons. Firstly, Djaffo waltzed through the defence and let Ian Ferguson take the ball from him, only for the big striker to delay his shot, lose control and waste a golden opportunity. Seconds later a cross from the right was handled in the Falkirk box and went behind the goal. The linesman was flagging as the ref awarded a corner and after consulting his assistant, Ref. Toner gave a free-kick to Falkirk for offside. More agony was to follow when Falkirk worked the ball forward and McAllister was put through, inevitably inside Graeme Love, and he fired across Castilla and in at the far post for the opening goal. It's just Ayr's luck that they are denied a penalty or a corner and then lose a goal along with their composure.
Henderson, who came in for some questionable treatment from Corrigan all evening, became the first yellow card of the second half when he was booked for dissent after complaining about yet another foul.
The ineffective Ferguson was removed in the 61st minute in favour of Ally Graham and Ayr almost scored straight away when a neat passing move involving Robertson, Smith and Millen ended with the letter shooting weakly at Mathers from 10 yards.
An incident in the 68th minute typified Ayr's evening. The ref over-ruled his linesman who was flagging for offisde against Ayr and instead, awarded a free-kick to the home side. It was wasted however and when Keith broke through the defence, it took a last ditch tackle by Hood on the edge of the box to redeem the situation. From attack to defence in one swift move. Graham released Henderson down the left with a neat flick through his legs but the winger's cross, like so many others in this match, was poorly directed and the chance was lost.
A sad sight for Ayr fans in the 74th minute was the figure of David Castilla, writhing in the goal mouth after landing awkwardly; he was stretchered off for Henry Smith to make another appearance in his place. His first involvement was in picking the ball out of the net after James had powered a free header well beyond him. Slack marking again, but who can defend against a 6'7" pantomine horse?
3 minutes later it was almost 3-0 when a Hagen header crashed off the face of the bar as Ayr fell to pieces. They managed to get it together finally with 3 minutes to go and a Millen ball was flicked on by Graham for Djaffo to nip in behind the defence and steer it wide of the advancing keeper.
There weren't many fans left in the ground to see the Frenchman net his 4th goal in 5 starts and who could blame those that had departed. It really was a woeful performance and only a few players got pass marks from me.
Team:
Castilla (HSmith 74), Robertson, Love, Millen, Hood, Traynor, TSmith,
Ciardi, Ferguson (Graham 61), Djaffo, Henderson. Unused sub - Mainge
Referee: Kevin Toner (3/10 - bizarre decisions)
Dundee 4 - 0 Ayr United
Att: 2971
Gordon Dalziel was a busy man on Friday as he wheeled and dealed in the transfer market and the net result was that out went Paul Watson to Stranraer and Colin McDonald on loan to Clydebank and in came Gary Bowman from St Johnstone and Jim Dick from St Mirren in deals worth a combined fee of 80K of Bill Barr's own money.
On Saturday, the Ayr fans who made the long trip to Dundee witnessed positive proof that it doesn't matter how good the ingredients are, unless they are blended correctly the product will be unpalatable and in the long run, the chef must take the blame. Ayr were quite simply woeful from front to back and if possible, this was an even more dispirited performance than last week's debacle against Falkirk.
The question being posed around the ground by those in black and white concerned how long Bill Barr will put up with performances like this from the most expensive team in the club's history. Far be it from me to speculate, but it would seem that action is required sooner rather than later to stem the flow of points and self-confidence which has accompanied the 5 game winless streak.
Those of us concerned about the defensive frailties of late had only 2 minutes to wait to have our views vindicated. A cross from Anderson found Grady all alone in a crowded box and he planted a header exactly where the left-back should have been at the back post and the home side were 1-0 up. Ayr were shell-shocked and with players running about all over the park seemingly unsure of where they should be, Dundee took full advantage to tear the disjointed outfit to shreds. It really was that bad and,although we had the brief respite of a Mainge shot brilliantly saved by Douglas, it was normal service again in 15 minutes when the second goal arrived. Ciardi was clearly bundled off the ball, even from our dreadful vantage point, but play was waved on and the speed with which Dundee broke upfield was devastating. Anderson took Kelly's pass and drew Smith before squaring across goal to give Grady a tap-in from 4 yards.
It's hard to explain how inept Ayr were. Unless you had been there, it would be difficult to comprehend how professional footballers could fail so often to do the simple thing. Time and again passes went astray and Ayr looked awkward and immmobile when chasing the ball. The new players looked out-of-touch, but in that, they blended in seamlessly as play raged around them. If Henry Smith hadn't produced a couple of good stops it could have been much worse and Dundee also missed some easy chances before the lead was extended further with a solo goal. A long clearance from Rogers saw Annand pursued by Hood and Traynor and it was odds-on the 2 defenders would mop up the danger. Wrong - the ball struck Annand's shoulder and he controlled it at the edge of the box. With Traynor backing off him and Hood unable to challenge, Annand curled a right foot shot wide of Smith and in at his left hand post.
Within 2 minutes it was 4-0. Grady beat 2 wafer-thin challenges on the edge of the box and laid the ball wide to Anderson again. His cross into the box was met by the unmarked figure of Kelly and he had the simplest of tasks to head beyond the stranded Smith from 6 yards.
The half-time whistle was preceeded by another excellent save by Smith to deny Annand the 5th and it was an incensed Ayr support which moved toward the tunnel and vented its fury at the figure of Gordon Dalziel trudging toward the dressing-room.
The restart saw Ayr with Tom Smith and Darren Henderson on in place of Mainge and Hood as they tried to shore up a leaky defence and play for some pride. As a contest, the game was over and it showed. Ayr had 15 minutes of pressure in which they forced 5 corners but the nearest they came to a goal was a Henderson header from a Graham flick-on which went straight to Douglas, and two shots from Ciardi at the edge of the box which flew over the bar and out of the ground. Smith was called on again to keep the score down and did well to keep out an Annand header but the pace had dropped to that of a training game as Dundee toyed with Ayr, rather like a cat does with a dead or dying mouse.
The Ayr fans drifted towards the exit as the minutes ticked away and there were less than 50 in the ground to see O'Driscoll head just wide with seconds remaining. The final whistle brought more jeers and abuse and, strangely, most of it was directed at the manager and not the team.
Gordon Dalziel certainly does not have his sorrows to seek at the moment, but he picks the team and he stands and falls by their performance. Right now, he is prostrate and it remains to be seen whether he has the managerial ability, or be afforded the time required, to restore himself to an upright position.
"Team":
HSmith, Robertson, Bowman, Millen, Hood (Smith 46), Dick, Mainge (Henderson 46),
Traynor, Graham (Ferguson 72), Djaffo, Ciardi
Ref: Sandy Roy [3/10 - usual pathetic performance that we have come to expect from this myopic old duffer]
Ayr United 6 - 0 Airdrie
Att: 1838
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From Kev McClelland What a difference seven days can make. Only a week ago, the Ayr players left the field at Dens Park to the sound of jeering. This week, the jeers have turned to cheers after a scoreline that had all who witnessed, gasping in disbelief. Let's get one thing clear straight away though, the game could have ended about 7-7 and how Airdrie did not score still amazes me. They put Ayr through the mill in the opening 15-20 minutes and could quite easily have been leading by 3 goals before Ayr had their first on the board. But let's not take anything away from the Honest Men who scored six of the best goals you'll ever see in a match. They fully deserved a slice of luck and if there is one team in the league that I could choose to beat 6-0 it would have to the Cumbernauld Gypsies. Gordon Dalziel gave his strikers a severe bawling-out before the game for their lack of effort, but if the first 15 minutes were anything to go by, it should have been the defence who were on the receiving end as Airdrie hemmed the home side into their own area for long periods. Australian rookie defender Richard Watson, thrown in due to injuries to Hood and Burns, had a torrid time and Cooper of the Diamonds took great pleasure in exploiting the youngster's uncertainty in those hectic opening minutes. Twice inside 4 minutes, the big defender was at fault. A slack clearance went straight to Connolly and his shot was deflected for a corner and then Cooper rose above him but sent his header just wide. Millen was booked for hauling back Wilson at the edge of the box and Cooper's free-kick was deflected by the wall for another corner. Jack missed the next chance when Cooper skipped past Watson and set up his teammate but the defender managed to blast over from 12 yards. Wilson was denied by a great save from Castilla at the expense of another corner, and all this took place inside 15 minutes. Then a sudden change came over the game. Djaffo was barged at the halfway line and Bowman flighted the free-kick onto the head of Ferguson. The big striker nodded it towards goal and Djaffo nipped in to head it over the advancing Hogarth for the opening goal, very much against the run of play, after 20 minutes. |
From the Sunday Mail ... AYR PASS THE DAZ TEST WITH A SIX-PACK Furious Ayr boss Gordon Dalziel gave his strikers a roasting before kick-off - then saw them respond with a six-goal blitz of Airdrie. United were on fire as they ended a 16- game sequence, stretching back eight years, without a win against Airdrie. The jinx was buried in sensational fashion and disbelieving Airdrie boss Alex MacDonald gasped: "Some of their goals were exceptional. It could have ended 8-8 but now it's back to the drawing board for us". Daz revealed the key to victory was a pre-match talk when he ripped into his hitmen. He said: "I gave Ian Ferguson and Laurent Djaffo a rollicking beforehand because I didn't think they were working hard enough. I asked for a response and they gave me one in magnificent fashion". Huddersfield have already run the rule over Djaffo and Daz admitted:"I promised I won't stand in his way if a bigger club comes in for him and I don't break my promises". Djaffo headed home No.1 in 20 minutes after Ferguson nodded on a Gary Bowman free-kick. Super Swede Marco Ciardi then set up Ferguson to prod home the second in 37 minutes. The dozy Diamonds were reeling again seconds before the break when Jim Dick headed home a Bowman cross from the left. John Traynor belted home a 35-yarder for No.4 a minute into the second-half, then Djaffo flicked the ball over Jimmy Sandison and rifled a shot past despairing keeper Myles Hogarth for Ayr's fifth. Still Ayr weren't finished and sub Tom Smith had the last word with a 25-yard raker four minutes from time. Aussie rookie Richard Watson couldn't believe the baptism of fire on his Ayr debut. He said: "My first five minutes were awful. I was still finding my feet and making some silly passes. I left Australia to try my hand at Preston where my grandfather used to play and they suggested I head north. After a game with Dunfermline I joined Ayr until the end of the season - and I'm loving every minute of it!" MoM: Ciardi (Ayr United) |
An equally strange thing happened 6 minutes later when Ferguson was elbowed in the face by Sweeney and the Ayr man was penalised. Not sure what for though. Castilla kept the score level when he foiled Wilson again in the 29th minute. Great running from midfield by Djaffo took him to the bye-line but as he cut back and looked for support it was clear that not only does he think faster than his teammates, he moves faster than them too. There was no-one in support and the Ayr bench were going ballistic at the this. No such complaints three minutes later when Ayr notched number 2. A ball from Bowman sent Ciardi down the left. His cross clearly struck the hand of a defender, but as the crowd appealed, Ferguson turned the loose ball home from 6 yards and Ayr had a 2 goal advantage without having played all that well. Sandison was cautioned for illegally halting Millen's run a minute later but the first half drama wasn't over yet. In the 44th minute, Bowman skipped past several challenges and from the byeline, drilled over a hard cross toward the goalmouth. The inrushing players all missed it but Jim Dick was perfectly placed 15 yards out and bulleted a diving header into the net despite Hogarth's attempts to keep it out. The half-time whistle sounded seconds later and the players left the pitch to a great ovation. Less than 60 seconds of the second half had elapsed when Ayr had extended the lead to 4. A corner was half cleared to the edge of the box where Dick and Mackay challenged for it. It broke out to John Traynor and he smashed a volley from 30 yards over the defence and into Hogarth's bottom left corner with the aid of a deflection. This sparked a mass exodus of Airdrie fans from the Railway end as they had clearly seen enough and who could blame them. 6 minutes later it was almost number 5. Sonor fed Dick who found Traynor and he sent Ciardi down the inside left channel. He drew the keeper but his touch into the box forced him to hurry his shot and Hogarth managed to save. He couldn't hold it though and Sweeney was on hand to clear up as Ferguson homed in on the loose ball. Djaffo shaved the bar after Ferguson set him up from a free-kick and Airdrie were rapidly going to pieces under the constant pressure. They did have several chances to get back into the game and the normally deadly Cooper and Connolly were culpable for most of them. Firstly Cooper managed to shoot over from 10 yards out in front and then Connolly side-footed wide after Watson had missed a high ball into the box. Having given Airdrie these chances, normal service resumed when Ayr went 5 up. A long ball out of defence to Ferguson was knocked inside to Djaffo, he drew Sandison, chipped it over him and shot past the stranded keeper from 20 yards out. He immediately asked the bench to be subbed and as he had been carrying a knock before the game, he was replaced by Ally Graham to great applause from the Somerset faithful. Around this point, 65 minutes, the tempo of the game dropped a bit and when Ayr advanced on the beleaguered Diamonds defence, they didn't carry that same punch. Castilla made another great save to tip a Connolly shot over from 16 yards as Ayr were warned again about defensive slackness and minutes later, Cooper side-footed into the side net from 6 yards after Ayr's defence had been left appealing for offside. Sonor was replaced by Tom Smith after 68 minutes and Sweeney was cautioned for his umpteenth foul soon after , but it was Smith who almost scored the sixth when he picked up a slack pass in midfield and tried a shot from 30 yards which flew just over the bar. Marco Ciardi was subbed for Henderson with 10 minutes remaining but still Airdrie tried to get on the scoresheet but found Castilla in inspired form , touching a Wilson shot over from 20 yards. From the corner, cleared by Graham, Ayr broke at pace down the right and Ferguson linked well with Robertson before firing a dipping volley just over from the edge of the box. The scoring wasn't finished though and it was left to Tom Smith to complete a perfect day when he collected the ball in midfield, strode forward and smashed a 25 yarder low into the bottom right for Ayr's half dozen. All things considered, it was a good performance and a great result. Few would have believed that Ayr could score six against anyone in this league and given that the last player to score a winner against Airdrie was Henry Templeton, 16 games ago, it was all the more stunning. If, and it's a big if, the players continue to play in that manner and they manage to sort out the still-apparent defensive frailties, then things could get considerably brighter down Somerset way.
Team: Ref: K Clark (6/10 - had little to do except point at the centre-circle) |
Raith Rovers 0 - 1 Ayr United
Att: 3015
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From Kev McClelland Ayr seem to be on a run of hoodoo busting at the moment and they continued it with their first win at Stark's Park since 1992 when an Ally Graham hat-trick gave Ayr a 4-2 win. Graham was the only absentee from last week's 14 and his place on the bench was taken by teenager Keith Hogg, so it was the team that crushed Airdrie that lined up in a much changed Stark's Park. Bill Barr's company has been busy at the ground and it now boasts two new stands which make that awful L-shaped legoland effort look positively antique in comparison. As the Ayr fans, around 250 of them, took their seats in the stand, they would notice that once again, Ayr were being lined up as televised cannon-fodder as the STV cameras were in evidence, but after surviving some heavy pressure at the beginning of both halves, Ayr took all three points and based on the number and quality of chances created during the 90 minutes, few could grudge them the win. In Laurent Djaffo, Jim Dick and Andy Millen, Ayr had three of the best players on the field, with only Hartley of the homeside looking dangerous and the Raith fans weren't slow to display their displeasure by leaving early or staying to boo their team off the park. Ayr's fans in contrast, stayed to a man, and having sang solidly for the last 15 minutes, they cheered the team off the park. The first chance of the first half came in the 8th minute when Dair was allowed a free run before shooting wide from 18 yards but few would have suspected that it would be Raith's only chance. A combination of resolute defending, good goalkeeping and the lack of a goal threat from the home side, meant that Sonor, Millen and Watson were rarely stretched. Browne fell victim to another piece of Djaffo trickery and went into the book for hauling him down at the half-way line as Ayr started to find their way in the game but a slip by Robertson allowed Dair to home in on goal, only to waste the chance by shooting straight at Castilla. Ayr had the ball in the net after 31 minutes but the celebrations were curtailed by an offside decision on Djaffo, who had buried Ferguson's knock down from a cross. Ayr started to push on a bit themselves and forced several corners. One flag-kick was cleared as far as Bowman and he linked with Ciardi before crossing to Ferguson but the striker handled when trying to control it and the chance was lost. Marco Ciardi failed to re-appear after the break, his place being taken by Darren Henderson and the sub had a great chance to open the scoring when a good move ended with Van De Kamp palming out a Djaffo shot and Henderson's follow-up effort blocked by Browne. There really wasn't much worth reporting over the next 25 minutes. Sonor was replaced by Smith, Raith had another 2 booked, and they then brought on a striker and a winger as they chased the home-win. Ayr had other ideas though and the final 10 minutes saw the best chances of the game. A Robertson cross to the left was missed by McEwan and chested down inside the defender by Henderson. Faced with only Van De Kamp to beat, he tried to place it with his left foot to the keeper's right but Van De Kamp was out smartly and made a good block. Perhaps a square ball to Djaffo would have been more productive, but the chance was the easiest of the match so far. With 6 minutes left, Tom Smith almost scored what would have been a contender for goal of the season. He picked up a loose clearance 25 yards out and proceded to run straight toward goal, evading no less than 5 challenges in the process. With only the keeper to beat, and stumbling from the final challenge, he lifted the ball over the diving Van De Kamp and agonisingly scraped the post with it. Ayr were not to be denied though and they got the goal their play deserved when Robertson's free-kick was laid off by Ferguson to Dick and he smacked a crisp left foot shot low into the corner. The Ayr fans were in full voice by now and they gave tremendous backing to the team for the remaining minutes while they dealt with Raith's increasingly frantic efforts. Great joy heralded the final whistle and it certainly makes a 90 mile trip home much happier when the points are coming back with you.
Team: Ref: Mr G Clyde (6/10 - a bad start, a good recovery, I'm amazed !) |
From the Raith Rovers Official Website Ex-Raith striker Gordon Dalziel brought his team to Stark's Park, and followed up his team's 1-0 victory at home with another victory here. "Well, obviously I am delighted. We have come off Airdrie, we've come here, difficult place, they are going well and I think they had the majority of the play to be fair to them but I thought we had the best chances. Darren Henderson and Tom Smith near the end of the game, you think it's heading for a draw because we've missed two great opportunities but to be fair to Raith they had a lot of play and a lot of the ball, but then Jim Dick sneaks up there with the winner so I'm delighted, a great three points for us." "It is lovely coming back and I'll be staying here tonight and and a lot of old faces to see, not that I think I'll be welcome any more, but it is nice when you go out on the park and they give you a wee clap like that, for what you have done for the club but it is not any sweeter a victory, I am doing a job now for Ayr United working very hard at it and it does not matter where it was today, just so long as the three points were there I would be happy. Although Raith had most of the play, they were not really causing us a lot of problems. We defended well and we had a great chance with Darren Henderson and another with Tom Smith then you think to yourself, okay then, this game maybe is on its way out but I thought we could always grab something." "I have got to hand it to the players, they have just come off a four nil loss against Dundee and took a right hard time of it, but they knuckled down and two magnificent wins against two very good sides, Airdrie and Raith Rovers, delighted with that and I'm looking forward to next week now instead of coming off defeats when it is a long week in training when the heads are down, but we'll now have a spring in our step and will be working hard. We've changed it a lot, we have changed it about and that has been a problem, people have just judged us instead of giving us a wee time to settle in and bed everybody in together and get them playing together and on their strengths. We have now got foreign players in so it takes time, and I think we are gradually getting there. There are still one or two wee things that I would like to change about but I think the club is making good progress and I have got to be happy with that." "I have got a good squad of players but the problem I have now is that I had eight players missing last week and I had eight players missing today, Ally Graham pulled out yesterday with a hamstring. I have got a young boy of 16 or 17 on the bench so I didn't have a great choice and sometimes it makes your job very easy when you just have 14 or 15 to pick from and you know what your best 11 is so you throw them in and hope they can do a job. It has been amazing, over the last two weeks that is what has happened. Some of the players, if it had not been for injuries might not have been playing and they have responded fantastically and that is what I need at the club. The guys that are sitting out now will be wondering when they will be able to get back in and get their chance. If these guys keep performing and playing the way they are playing then it might keep them out for a long while." "Tom Smith did magnificently to get in the position he did at the end of the game, but that is one of those things. I thought after that it was going to be a nil nil, he had turned in and out, did great in setting himself up but at the end of the day he's okay now, he's in there with his head up because we have sneaked a wee one with Jim Dick and I am delighted with that, obviously." "I think Jimmy is chopping and changing, he's back here and he is wanting his own set up, and I was under that when he came and did that before, and he worked very hard at that, he changed it about to the way he wants it. I think he is in the progress of that at the moment and I know, because I am doing it as well that it becomes very difficult, you can't just change things about and it'll work immediately. He has a lot of good players here but it was very difficult for us today, we've got good players but Jimmy will probably want it his own way which I know he will, and he'll do a great job here but I am doing the same, and it is difficult, people don't understand it. People just see results, they do not see the changing of the club." "I came to Ayr United two years ago and it was dead, and I have tried to pick it up but you have got to have your hiccups, we had ours a couple of weeks ago when we lost three games in a row, Jimmy has had a wee hiccup today but I'm sure he'll get his players sorted out and back again next week." "I think in the long run they will be in there, I think they are not a bad side." |
