INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 0-1 AYR UNITED
PLAYOFF FINAL SECOND LEG
VENUE - EXCELSIOR
KICK OFF TIME - 3:15PM
DATE - SUNDAY 24 MAY 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN, 3 - PAUL LOVERING (CAPTAIN), 4 - KEVIN MCDONALD,
5 - BOBBY DONNELLY - MAN OF THE MATCH, 6 - MARC SMYTH, 7 - DARREN SMITH, 8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA,
9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO, 10 - JOHN BAIRD, 11 - SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN
SUBS - USED
14 - STEVEN MCDOUGALL FOR 4 - KEVIN MCDONALD, 15 - SIMON LYNCH FOR 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO,
16 - KEVIN WATT FOR 2 - WILLIAM MCLACHLAN
NOT USED
12 - DAVID NIXON, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
5 - BOBBY DONNELLY
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED WAS RELEGATED TO THE 2ND DIVISION THIS AFTERNOON AS THEY LOST 1-0 AGAINST AYR UNITED.
FIRST HALF
THE GAME GOT OFF TO A SLOW START AND SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD THE FIRST CHANCE OF IT FOR AIRDRIE ON THE 8TH MINUTE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 2- YARDS OUT BUT AYR UNITED GOALKEEPER STEPHEN GRINDLAY MADE THE SAVE. ON THE 24TH MINUTE AIRDRIE HAD A PENALTY CLAIM FOR HANDBALL TURNED DOWN AND AFTER THIS WILLIAM MCLACHLAN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN GRINDLAY MADE ANOTHER SAVE. A FEW MINUTES LATER PAUL DI GIACOMO HIT A SHOT FROM A TIGHT ANGLE INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT TOOK A DEFLECTION AND HIT THE BAR AND WENT OVER AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER THE DANGER WAS CLEARED.
AYR UNITED MADE AIRDRIE PAY FOR NOT TAKING ANY OF THE CHANCES ON THE 29TH MINUTE AS FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX RYAN STEVENSON CURLED THE BALL PAST STEPHEN ROBERTSON AND INTO THE NET TO GIVE AYR THE LEAD. SHORTLY AFTER THIS AYR UNITED HAD ANOTHER CHANCE WHEN KENNETH CONNOLLY HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON EXCELLENTLY PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND THE DANGER WAS CLEARED. WITH TEN MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN WHO HAS SCORED SOME FANTASTIC GOALS FROM DISTANCE THIS SEASON HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT THIS TIME HIS SHOT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR. JUST BEFORE HALF TIME AIRDRIE HAD THERE BEST CHANCE OF THE GAME WHEN PAUL DI GIACOMO GOT ONTO THE END OF AN INCH PERFECT DARREN SMITH CROSS INTO THE BOX ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT BUT HIS SHOT WENT WIDE AND AIRDRIE WENT INTO HALF TIME A GOAL DOWN.
SECOND HALF
IT WAS SIX MINUTES INTO THE HALF UNTIL THE FIRST CHANCE CAME AND IT WAS FOR AIRDRIE AS JOHN BAIRD ATTEMPTED TO CHIP STEPHEN GRINDLAY FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WAS SAVED. A FEW MINUTES LATER STEPHEN MCKENNA BECAME THE FIRST AIRDRIE PLAYER TO BE YELLOW CARDED AND THEN ON THE 61ST MINUTE AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST SUBSTITUTIONS AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL AND SIMON LYNCH CAME ON FOR KEVIN MCDONALD AND PAUL DI GIACOMO. IT WAS AYR UNITED WHO HAD THE NEXT TWO CHANCES THOUGH AS A MINUTE LATER THEY HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE AND THEN BRYAN PRUNTY GOT ONTO THE END OF A CROSS INTO THE BOX WITH A HEADER BUT IT WAS STRAIGHT AT STEPHEN ROBERTSON AND HE MADE THE SAVE.
ON THE 66TH MINUTE AIRDRIE HAD A CHANCE AS DARREN SMITH HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR. A MINUTE LATER AYR UNITED MADE THEIR ONLY SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS FORMER AIRDRIE UNITED FANS FAVOURITE BRYAN PRUNTY CAME OFF AND DAVID GORMLEY CAME ON. BEFORE THE NEXT CHANCE CAME DARREN SMITH BECAME THE SECOND AIRDRIE UNITED PLAYER TO BE YELLOW CARDED. SHORTLY AFTER THIS MARK ROBERTS GOT ONTO THE END OF A CROSS INTO THE BOX FOR AYR UNITED WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. THEN ON THE 77TH MINUTE WILLIAM EASTON HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT FOR AYR UNITED BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE.
AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME ON THE 79TH MINUTE AS THEY TOOK OFF WILLIAM MCLACHLAN AND BROUGHT ON KEVIN WATT SO THEY HAD MORE ATTACKING OPTIONS ON THE PARK. TWO MINUTES LATER THEY WON A FREE KICK AND FROM IT SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO BUT STEPHEN GRINDLAY MADE THE SAVE. WITH ONLY FIVE MINUTES TO GO AIRDRIE HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AS FROM A DARREN SMITH CROSS INTO THE BOX SIMON LYNCH GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A SHOT BUT IT WENT HIGH AND WIDE. A FEW MINUTES LATER JOHN BAIRD HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT HIS EFFORT ALSO WENT HIGH AND WIDE. BEFORE THE FINAL CHANCE OF THE GAME MARC SMYTH BECAME THE FINAL AIRDRIE UNITED PLAYER TO BE YELLOW CARDED AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS JOHN BAIRD HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN GRINDLAY AGAIN MADE THE SAVE TO ENSURE AYR UNITED WON PROMOTION TO THE 1ST DIVISION AND AIRDRIE WAS RELEGATED TO THE 2ND DIVISION.