Ayr United 1
Dunfermline Athletic 0
League (Championship)


Ayr United
1 - 0
Dunfermline Athletic 

League (Championship)
Saturday, November 23rd, 2024
Somerset Park
Attendance: 1,701

Goalscorers
Jay Henderson (67)
None.

Team Managers
Scott Brown
Unknown.

Starting Eleven
38. Liam Russel
3. Patrick Reading
33. Scott McMann
14. George Stanger
Mickey Devlin
17. Jay Henderson
8. Ben Dempsey
22. Mark McKenzie
23. Marcus Rus
Connor McLennan
9. George Oakley
21 (G) O Oluwayemi
Yellow card 2 (D) A Comrie
4 (D) K Benedictus
Yellow card 6 (D) E Otoo
3 (M) K Ngwenya
Yellow card 7 (M) K Ritchie-Hosler
8 (M) J Chalmers (74)
10 (M) M Todd (74)
Yellow card 22 (M) C Clay (45)
20 (F) C Kane (59)
62 (F) A Awokoya-Mebude

Bench
Jack McIntyre
20. Roy Syla
32. Dylan Watret
4. Frankie Musonda
Ryan Howley
15. Jamie Murphy
2. Nick McAllister
Alfie Bavidge
16. Jake Hastie
1 (G) D Mehmet
15 (D) S Fisher
16 (D) T Fogarty
25 (D) S Young
5 (M) C Hamilton (45)
19 (M) D Wotherspoon (74)
33 (M) J Cooper (74)
24 (F) T Sutherland (59)

Substitutions
Dylan Watret for Mark McKenzie (21)
Jamie Murphy for Connor McLennan (71)
Frankie Musonda for Jay Henderson (81)
Alfie Bavidge for Marcus Rus (81)
None.

Cautions
None. None.

Red Cards
None. None.
Match Officials

Craig Napier (Referee)


Photography by SNS Group

Match Report


Ayr United recorded back-to-back Scottish Championship wins with a dominant victory against Dunfermline Athletic, Jay Henderson's second-half goal proving decisive.

Saturday's only second-tier fixture to survive the wintry weather had kick-off delayed and both sides struggled to get going owing to the conditions, Ayr's Scott McCann going close with a vicious effort from 30 yards.

Dylan Watret entered the pitch after an injury for Mark MacKenzie and instantly instilled a level of urgency with some slick link-up play with the hosts' Marcos Rus.

Henderson and Connor McLennan tested Tobi Oluwayemi in the first half and Henderson broke the deadlock with a carbon copy of an earlier fierce effort by Watret.

Dapo Mebude almost levelled, his shot straight at goalkeeper Liam Russell, and the Pars' late changes could not produce a late turnaround.

Ayr move to within a point of Livingston, who are second, while Dunfermline remain seven points above bottom side Airdrieonians.

What the managers said
Ayr United manager Scott Brown: "We wanted the game to go on just at a normal time because our lads with pre-match and stuff as they usually do, we were prepared for it.

"We had the little bit of extra time to get ready but let's not worry about that, it's more about the result and the performance."

Dunfermline Athletic manager James McPake: "The issue was at 9:30 GMT when the bus had left East End Park and how long it was going to take. We knew the pitch was going to be good, there's been a lot of investment on this pitch.

"We asked for the kick-off to be pushed back further. Their players were preparing for a 15:00 kick-off. That's completely acceptable from Ayr United in my opinion but what I don't think is acceptable is the fact that it took the SPFL until, I don't know what time it was, when we got confirmation when the kick-off was. It's the governing body and it's the decision maker and I see other games that are moved back."

Match report written by BBC



Squad Statistics (as at November 23rd, 2024)


2024-25 All Time
Age
Liam Russel (GK) - 9 - 9 -
Scott McMann28 15 - 15 -
Patrick Reading25 19 - 1623
Mickey Devlin31 3 - 3 -
George Stanger24 221563
Ben Dempsey24 21110313
Jay Henderson22 229229
Connor McLennan - 8181
Marcus Rus21 193193
Mark McKenzie24 20117414
George Oakley29 226226
Frankie Musonda (sub)26 131655
Dylan Watret (sub)18 152182
Jamie Murphy (sub)35 132529
Alfie Bavidge (sub)18 10 - 10 -






League Table (as at November 23rd, 2024)


Pld W D L Pts
1. Falkirk 15 11 2 2 35
2. Livingston 14 8 5 1 29
3. Ayr United 15 8 4 3 28
4. Partick Thistle 14 6 5 3 23
5. Queen's Park 15 6 4 5 22
6. Raith Rovers 14 4 3 7 15
7. Hamilton Academical 14 4 3 7 15
8. Morton 14 3 5 6 14
9. Dunfermline Athletic 15 3 3 9 12
10. Airdrieonians 14 1 2 11 5