Cove Rangers 0
Ayr United 5
League (Championship)
Cove Rangers |
0 - 5 |
Ayr United |
 |
League (Championship) |
 |
| Goalscorers | |
| None. |
Nick McAllister (21) Ben Dempsey (55) Josh Mullin (61) Fraser Bryden (82) Josh Mullin (89) |
| Team Managers | |
| Paul Hartley |
Lee Bullen |
| Starting Eleven | |
|
12 Fox 3 Naismith 6 Neill 15 McClelland 2 Logan 8 Yule 4 Scully 28 Paterson 9 Megginson 18 Weston 11 McIntosh |
Charlie Albinson Patrick Reading Sean McGinty Alex Kirk Ben Dempsey Jayden Mitchell-Lawson Nick McAllister Michael Hewitt Josh Mullin Dipo Akinyemi Paul Smith |
| Bench | |
|
5 Ross 14 Virtanen 16 Vigurs 17 Longstaff 23 Gourlay 25 Glass 26 Reynolds |
Aiden McAdams Jordan Houston Dylan Watret Kinlay Bilham Daire OConnor David Bangala Mark McKenzie Fraser Bryden Sam Ashford |
| Substitutions | |
|
15 McClelland for Virtanen 45'minutes 4 Scully for Vigurs 76'minutes 9 Megginson forGlass 76'minutes 18 Weston for Longstaff 59'minutes |
Jordan Houston for Patrick Reading (17) David Bangala for Paul Smith (73) Sam Ashford for Michael Hewitt (79) Fraser Bryden for Jayden Mitchell-Lawson (79) Mark McKenzie for Dipo Akinyemi (79) |
| Cautions | |
| McClelland | None. |
| Red Cards | |
| None. | None. |
| Match Officials | |
|
Graham Grainger (Referee) |
Match Report
Ayr United moved a point behind Scottish Championship leaders Queen's Park with an emphatic victory against Cove Rangers at Balmoral Stadium.
Nick McAllister got the first, poking home a loose ball after Kyle McClelland misjudged a Josh Mullin free-kick.
Mullin's terrific cross was finished by Ben Dempsey then the provider made it three after a fine Dipo Akinyemi pass.
Fraser Bryden's strike into the top corner and Mullin's free-kick in off the crossbar completed the rout.
Leaders Queen's Park play third-placed Dundee - who are four points behind Lee Bullen's Ayr but have two games in hand - on Saturday.
Ayr and Paul Hartley's Cove meet again on Tuesday for a place in the fifth round of the Scottish Cup at home to Elgin City.
Match report written by BBC
Squad Statistics (as at January 27th, 2023)
| 2022-23 | All Time | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Nat |  |
 |
|
|
|
| Charlie Albinson (GK) | 26 |
|
24 | - | 35 | - |
| Patrick Reading | 23 |
|
27 | - | 92 | 3 |
| Alex Kirk | 20 |
|
17 | 2 | 17 | 2 |
| Sean McGinty | 29 |
|
23 | 2 | 58 | 3 |
| Nick McAllister | 22 |
|
19 | 1 | 32 | 1 |
| Jayden Mitchell-Lawson | - |
|
19 | 1 | 19 | 1 |
| Ben Dempsey | 23 |
|
28 | 6 | 35 | 6 |
| Josh Mullin | - |
|
17 | 8 | 17 | 8 |
| Michael Hewitt | 22 |
|
9 | - | 22 | - |
| Dipo Akinyemi | 25 |
|
28 | 16 | 28 | 16 |
| Paul Smith | 20 |
|
13 | - | 22 | - |
| Jordan Houston (sub) | 23 |
|
18 | 1 | 99 | 1 |
| David Bangala (sub) | 25 |
|
7 | - | 7 | - |
| Mark McKenzie (sub) | 22 |
|
26 | 3 | 98 | 7 |
| Sam Ashford (sub) | 27 |
|
23 | - | 36 | 2 |
| Fraser Bryden (sub) | 18 |
|
10 | 1 | 22 | 2 |
League Table (as at January 27th, 2023)
| Pld | W | D | L | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Queen's Park | 21 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 40 |
| 2. | Ayr United | 22 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 39 |
| 3. | Dundee | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 35 |
| 4. | Partick Thistle | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 33 |
| 5. | Morton | 20 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 30 |
| 6. | ICT | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
| 7. | Raith Rovers | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 29 |
| 8. | Cove Rangers | 22 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 22 |
| 9. | Arbroath | 22 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 18 |
| 10. | Hamilton Academical | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 14 |