INFO
AYR UNITED 2-2 AIRDRIE UNITED
PLAYOFF FINAL FIRST LEG
VENUE - SOMERSET PARK
KICK OFF TIME - 7:45PM
DATE - WEDNESDAY 20 MAY 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN, 3 - PAUL LOVERING (CAPTAIN), 4 - KEVIN MCDONALD,
5 - BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 - MARC SMYTH, 7 - DARREN SMITH, 8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA, 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO - 1 GOAL,
10 - JOHN BAIRD - 1 GOAL - MAN OF THE MATCH, 11 - SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN
SUBS - USED
15 - STEVEN MCDOUGALL FOR 4 - KEVIN MCDONALD, 16 - SIMON LYNCH FOR 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO
NOT USED
12 - DAVID NIXON, 14 - MICHAEL BROWN, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
10 - JOHN BAIRD
MATCH REPORT
IN A GAME OF TWO HALVES THE FIRST LEG OF THE PLAYOFF FINAL ENDED IN A 2-2 DRAW THANKS TO A PENALTY SAVE FROM STEPHEN ROBERTSON IN THE SECOND HALF.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE TWO CHANGES TO THE STARTING ELEVEN FROM THE PETERHEAD GAME THREE DAYS AGO AS DARREN SMITH AND JOHN BAIRD RETURNED TO THE STARTING ELEVEN AT THE EXPENSE OF STEVEN MCDOUGALL AND SIMON LYNCH WHO WERE BOTH ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH. MEANWHILE AYR UNITED INCLUDED FORMER AIRDRIE UNITED PLAYER OF THE YEARS NEIL MCGOWAN AND BRYAN PRUNTY IN THEIR STARTING ELEVEN AND ALSO INCLUDED FORMER AIRDRIE PLAYER MARK ROBERTS ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH.
FIRST HALF
BOTH TEAMS TOOK TIME TO SETTLE INTO THE GAME AND ON THE 9TH MINUTE PAUL LOVERING BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER TO BE SHOWN A YELLOW CARD IN THE GAME. A FEW MINUTES LATER PAUL LOVERING WAS THE FIRST PLAYER TO HAVE A SHOT IN THE GAME AS HE HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT AYR UNITED GOALKEEPER STEPHEN GRINDLAY MADE THE SAVE. AYR UNITED HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE 19TH MINUTE OF THE GAME TO HAVE THERE FIRST SHOT OF THE GAME AS DEAN KEENAN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 30 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND THE DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER. FOUR MINUTES LATER JOHN BAIRD SENT AN OVERHEAD KICK SHOT GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN GRINDLAY MADE A COMFORTABLE SAVE. ON THE 29TH MINUTE AIRDRIE CAME CLOSE TO TAKING THE LEAD AS FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX KEVIN MCDONALD HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN GRINDLAY TURNED THE BALL AROUND THE POST AND THE CORNER WAS CLEARED.
AIRDRIE HAD A STRONG PENALTY APPEAL FOR A HANDBALL TURNED DOWN FROM A JOHN BAIRD SHOT AND THE BALL WENT OUT FOR A CORNER ON THE 30TH MINUTE AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND BOBBY DONNELLY FLICKED IT ONTO PAUL DI GIACOMO WHO WAS AT THE BACK POST AND HE TURNED THE BALL INTO THE NET TO GIVE AIRDRIE THE LEAD. A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE GOAL WILLIAM EASTON HAD A CHANCE FOR AYR WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. THEN WITH ONLY A FEW MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING AIRDRIE DOUBLED THERE LEAD AS NEIL MCGOWAN GAVE AWAY A FREE KICK AND WAS YELLOW CARDED AND FROM IT SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND STEPHEN GRINDLAY CAME OUT AND MISSED THE BALL AND THIS LET JOHN BAIRD TURN THE BALL INTO THE NET WITH A DEFLECTION OFF OF AYR UNITED DEFENDER SCOTT WALKER. DURING STOPPAGE TIME OF THE HALF AIRDRIE HAD ONE MORE CHANCE WHEN PAUL DI GIACOMO HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX AFTER AYR FAILED TO CLEAR THE DANGER BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR AND AIRDRIE HEADED INTO HALF TIME WITH A TWO GOAL LEAD.
SECOND HALF
AYR UNITED GOT THE HALF OFF TO A FANTASTIC START AS THREE MINUTES INTO IT FORMER AIRDRIE PLAYER MARK ROBERTS RIFLED THE BALL INTO THE NET FROM INSIDE THE BOX TO PULL A GOAL BACK. A FEW MINUTES LATER CHRIS AITKEN HAD A GO FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. AIRDRIE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE 58TH MINUTE WHEN THEY WON A FREE KICK FOR THEIR FIRST CHANCE AS FROM IT SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN GRINDLAY MADE THE SAVE. SIX MINUTES LATER JOHN BAIRD HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. ON THE 66TH MINUTE AYR UNITED MADE THERE ONLY SUBSTITUTE OF THE GAME AS FORMER AIRDRIE UNITED FANS FAVOURITE BRYAN PRUNTY CAME OFF AND DAVID GORMLEY CAME ON. A MINUTE LATER AYR UNITED EQUALIZED WITH THERE NEXT CHANCE AS FROM THE BACK POST MARK ROBERTS FIRED WILLIAM EASTON�S CROSS INTO THE BACK OF THE NET FOR HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE GAME.
AYR UNITED HAD A FANTASTIC CHANCE TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THE 72ND MINUTE WHEN THEY WON A PENALTY FOR A FOUL BY BOBBY DONNELLY WHICH SAW HIM YELLOW CARDED BUT FROM IT AIRDRIE UNITED PLAYER OF THE YEAR STEPHEN ROBERTSON GUESSED THE CORRECT WAY TO PARRY AWAY CHRIS AITKEN�S PENALTY. SHORTLY AFTER THIS MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE BY STEPHEN ROBERTSON AIRDRIE HAD A CHANCE AS FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE. THEN WITH ONLY NINE MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING AYR UNITED HAD A CHANCE AS DEAN KEENAN HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS SIMON LYNCH CAME ON FOR PAUL DI GIACOMO. DURING THE FINAL FIVE MINUTES OF THE GAME AYR UNITED WAS REDUCED TO TEN MEN AS NEIL MCGOWAN WAS SENT OFF AS HE WAS SHOWN A SECOND YELLOW CARD FOR FOULING THE IMPRESSIVE JOHN BAIRD. AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTION AFTER THIS AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL CAME ON FOR JOHN BAIRD BUT NO MORE CHANCES WAS TO BE CREATED AND THE GAME FINISHED 2-2 TO SET UP A THRILLER AT THE EXCELSIOR ON SUNDAY.