Ayr United 0
Falkirk 1
League (Championship)


Ayr United
0 - 1
Falkirk 

League (Championship)
Saturday, January 5th, 2019
Somerset Park
Attendance: 2,729

Goalscorers
None. Rudden (56')

Team Managers
Ian McCall
Ray McKinnon

Starting Eleven
1. Ross Doohan
3. Daniel Harvie
Michael Rose
Liam Smith
Steven Bell
Mark Kerr
8. Robbie Crawford
11. Declan McDaid
Andy Murdoch
7. Michael Moffat
Craig Moore
12 Mitchell
3 McGhee
28 McKenna
23 Dixon
2 Kidd
27 Waddington
22 McKee
11 MacLean
14 Robson
16 McShane
19 Rudden

Bench
19. Ellis Hare Reid
Finn Ecrepont
Chris Higgins
14. David Ferguson
25. Luke McCowan
12. Craig McGuffie
23. Ross Docherty
1 Fasan
4 Muirhead
15 Harrison
18 Brough
20 O'Hara
24 Lavery
25 Irving

Substitutions
Ross Docherty for Mark Kerr (52)
Craig McGuffie for Andy Murdoch (67)
None.

Cautions
Declan McDaid
None.

Red Cards
None. None.
Match Officials

Bobby Madden (Referee)


Photography by SNS Group

Match Report


Falkirk moved off the bottom of the Championship thanks to a Zak Rudden goal at Somerset Park as Ayr United missed the chance to regain top spot.

The on-loan Rangers striker scored from close range after goalkeeper Ross Doohan spilled a Ross MacLean shot.

Ayr had the ball in the net in the first half but Craig Moore's effort was ruled offside.

The hosts remain three points behind leaders Ross County, who lost at Morton on Friday.

Five of the Bairns' seven January signings started. It is only Falkirk's fourth league win from 20 matches this season and the visitors looked confident with their recent additions gelling well.

Ciaran McKenna was largely composed at the back, Ian McShane always wanted the ball in midfield, and Mark Waddington offered several glimpses of good close control going forward.

Ayr nearly netted towards the end when Steven Bell's misdirected shot prompted mayhem the penalty area, but goalkeeper David Mitchell bravely cleared.

'Gamble paid off' for Falkirk - reaction
Falkirk manager Ray McKinnon: "We took a gamble with five players coming into the team who were really lacking in match fitness. But we had to do something different to what we did in the first half of the season. The gamble paid off and hopefully we can add three or four more bodies this week."

Ayr United manager Ian McCall: "The last few games we've needed to be more clinical. I can't be harsh on Ross Doohan because he's not made any mistakes since he can't here, but he made one today and that cost us.

"The boys should've got him out of jail at the end - I don't know how it didn't go in. It's very frustrating. Any team in Scotland would miss Lawrence Shankland (calf injury) but hopefully he'll be back next week."

Match report written by BBC



Squad Statistics (as at January 5th, 2019)


2018-19 All Time
Age
Ross Doohan (GK)20 27 - 27 -
Michael Rose23 252905
Daniel Harvie20 24 - 24 -
Steven Bell33 221372
Liam Smith - 20 - 20 -
Declan McDaid23 2327516
Robbie Crawford24 25 - 12611
Mark Kerr - 18 - 32 -
Andy Murdoch23 26 - 26 -
Craig Moore - 18310647
Michael Moffat33 2587021
Ross Docherty (sub)25 1011116
Craig McGuffie (sub)21 13 - 917






League Table (as at January 5th, 2019)


No league table has been added for this season.