17s Return To The Fore With Four Goals


After what seemed an age since their last competitive match, the 17s returned to action today at a windy Prestwick Academy against Dumfries side, Queen of the South.

Ayr started the more sluggish of the two sides and went behind after 20 minutes to a penalty which at this point wasn't undeserved for the visitors.

The Ayr players didn't let their heads go down though and were close to equalizing seven minutes later when the two Cammy's combined with an excellent through pass from Marlow to Barr who struck a sweet shot, that appeared to get caught up in the wind, but the ball struck the barr and the chance was gone.

Ayr were still living dangerously and could have gone a further goal behind, had it not been for the superb goalkeeping reactions of James Kinniburgh saving what looked like a sure goal.

Deci Milligan was next to have a pot shot at goal but his lob just drifted past the post, however right on the stroke of half time, a great through pass from Lee Lockhart to Adam Forsyth put him in a brilliant position to score and he passed the ball into the net to give the Ayr side an equalizing goal to take into half time.

Manager Allan Paul pointed out to the lads at half time that they weren't talking to each other and this seemed to switch a button on in the players as they dominated the second half with some high class performances.

Lee Lockhart was bursting with energy in the second 45 and had some excellent efforts on goal with his long range shots peppering the Queens goal with ever increasing accuracy. In the 54th minute alone, he managed three shots, all just going past the post.

Lockhart himself was also assisting in the effort of others to give the home side the lead when he combined with Adam Forsyth, who played in Deci Milligan but was unlucky in front of goal when he couldn't get the ball from under his feet.

Ayr's defence had to be alert at all times with the visitors counter attacks being thwarted by the excellent defensive work of Jack McClymont, JJ Hawkshaw, Andrew Muir and Dean Marshall who all managed a superbly strong tackling display to keep the Queens at bay.

Ayr's good play eventually led to them taking the lead when Lockhart played the ball in from the right to Forsyth who had the presence of mind and vision to dummy the ball for for Steven Hutchison who blasted into the goal, to give the home side the lead.

Only one minute later, Ayr added another with Lockhart once again played in an excellent ball, this time it was Deci Milligan who received the ball, and he fired in from eight yards out, giving the keeper no chance of saving.

As if in defiance of Ayr's dominance at this point, Queen of the South immediately broke up the field from the kick off but an absolutely superb tackle, more akin to Cirque De Soleil, from Dean Marshall, saved the home side from losing a second goal.

With ten minutes left though, Ayr wrapped the match up when Jack McClymont swung in a magnificent curling free kick from the edge of the box, straight into the top left hand corner of the net to round of the scoring for the home side, giving them four separate scorers.

Manager Allan Paul was happy with the result at the end saying "The boys started the first half with more than a hint of nerves about them and when they lost the early goal, they seemed to have the wind knocked out of them. However they bounced back well and clearly dominated the second half and never looked like losing after we had equalized."

Match squad: Kinninburgh, Muir, McClymont, Hawkshaw, Barr, Lockhart, Hutchison, Marlow, Forsyth, Milligan, Marshall, Brown, McCormack, McFadzean, March, Fisher.