Ayr United 0 - 2 Inverness CT

League - Championship
Saturday, February 20th, 2021, 3:00 PM at Somerset Park, Ayr
Referee: Peter Stuart
Ayr United Inverness CT

Goalscorers
None. Daniel Mackay (31)
Shane Sutherland (54)

Team Managers
Mark Kerr John Robertson

Starting Eleven
Viljami Sinisalo
Michael Miller
Aaron Muirhead
Jack Baird
Corrie Ndaba
Andy Murdoch
Joe Chalmers
Luke McCowan
Cammy Smith
Tom Walsh
Michael Moffat
Mark Ridgers
Wallace Duffy
Cameron Harper
Robbie Deas
Daniel Devine
Scott Allardice
Roddy MacGregor
David Carson
Nikolay Todorov
Daniel Mackay
Shane Sutherland

Bench
Patrick Reading
Sam Roscoe-Byrne
Dario Zanatta
Mikey Hewitt
Ellis Hare-Reid
Mark McKenzie
Brett McGavin
Cameron Mackay
Harry Nicolson
Brad Mckay
Lewis Hyde
Sean Welsh
James Keatings
Miles Storey

Substitutions
Mark McKenzie -> Michael Miller (58)
Mikey Hewitt -> Cammy Smith (75)
Dario Zanatta -> Tom Walsh (86)
Miles Storey for Nikolay Todorov (68)
Sean Welsh for Roddy MacGregor (75)
Brad Mckay for Daniel Mackay (87)

Bookings
Luke McCowan (54)
Aaron Muirhead (63)
Corrie Ndaba (68)
Nikolay Todorov (35)

Red Cards
None. None.
Appearances & Goals To Date
Mark Ridgers (GK) 140 apps -
Daniel Devine 96 apps4 goals
Wallace Duffy 11 apps -
Cameron Harper 26 apps -
Robbie Deas 16 apps1 goal
Scott Allardice 17 apps2 goals
Roddy MacGregor 42 apps2 goals
David Carson 39 apps -
Shane Sutherland 103 apps8 goals
Nikolay Todorov 47 apps10 goals
Daniel Mackay 40 apps6 goals
Brad Mckay (sub) 153 apps8 goals
Sean Welsh (sub) 54 apps7 goals
Miles Storey (sub) 82 apps20 goals

Starting Lineup
Youngest Player:Roddy MacGregor (19 years 66 days)
Oldest Player:Mark Ridgers (30 years 203 days)
Average Player Age:23 years 346 days
Domestic Players:8 (72.73 % of starting eleven)

Matchday Squad
Youngest Player:Lewis Hyde (18 years 225 days)
Oldest Player:Sean Welsh (30 years 350 days)
Average Player Age:24 years 132 days
Domestic Players:14 (77.78 % of matchday squad)

First Team Debuts

Milestones

Caley Jags beat Ayr and the weather:

Wet and windy was the order of the day as Inverness beat Ayr United with a goal in each half. After half an hour, Daniel Mackay finished off a swift break forward after getting on the end of some neat one touch football. Ten minutes after the break Shane Sutherland did well to control, turn, and fire the ball into the net after Todorov drove the ball goalwards. Both keepers pulled off some excellent saves but Inverness were deserved winners to lift them up above Ayr in the league.

Andre Wright missed out for Ayr having picked up a groin strain with Michael Moffat starting up front. Former Caley Jags Tom Walsh and Joe Chalmers were both in the starting XI. Inverness shook their squad a bit after failing to hit the target against Queen of the South in midweek. Miles Storey, James Keatings, Brad Mckay and Sean Welsh found themselves on the bench. There were starts for Roddy MacGregor, David Carson, and Nikolay Todorov with Robbie Deas and Danny Devine back in the heart of the defence.

A wet and windy afternoon greeted the players at Somerset Park. At least it's football of sorts I hear you say.

A wind assisted Ayr came flying out of the blocks and forced a couple of corners in the first minutes and had Mark Ridgers grasping the ball before Ayr players got on the end of it at one point.

It took the visitors fully five minutes before we got our foot on the ball. Dan Mackay did put the ball in the net with a lovely bending finish but the whistle had already gone.

An early clearance from Ayr keeper Sinsinalo bounced menacingly over Ridgers' bar, the keeper watching it anxiously.

Ayr were buzzing around the Inverness defensive zone but neither side were able to test the keepers yet.

First test for Sinsinalo came after a tidy break forward on the right side. Carson drilled a low ball into the box and a turn and shot from Sutherland saw the keeper save comfortably.

Ayr also had the ball in the box when Tom Walsh crossed into the box, but Miller climbed all over the defence to head home. Foul given though.

Another turn and shot at the other end, this time from Todorov, another comfortable save for the keeper. Had either of these efforts been struck better we might have troubled the keeper, but both efforts were smothered when striking making it easy for the young keeper.

After half an hour the visitors opened the scoring with a swift break and excellent low finish from Daniel Mackay. Danny Devine started it with a ball forward and three or four passes later Danny finished superbly with assists from Toddy and Sutherland.

Five minutes before the break McCowan had a snapshot saved at his near post by Ridgers. Two minutes later he produced a brilliant save from the same player as his header bounced down to the keepers left, Ridgers diving full length to turn the ball round the post. Joe Chalmers fired a wind assisted effort from distance that had Ridgers scampering across his line but it flew just wide minutes before the break.

Half Time: 0-1

Mackay latched onto the ball some distance out at the start of the second half but shot high over the bar, in fact almost over the stand.

The Caley Jags doubled their lead ten minutes into the second forty-five when Shane Sutherland shot home from inside the box after controlling a Todorov drive for goal before turning and drilling behind the keeper.

Soon after,Todorov found the angle too tight when through on the keeper who made an important block and moments later Ayr did well to scramble an Allardice free kick from the edge of the box away to safety.

A free kick to Ayr was charged down when Chalmers tried for goal from the touch sideways as Ayr struggled to make progress and as the weather worsened Miles Storey replaced Nikolay Todorov. Almost immediately Sinsinalo pulled off a tremendous save to deny Robbie Deas who had the goal at his mercy after a pinpoint cross from Cameron Harper.

Ridgers did have an important block to make as a powerful shot from close range was pushed away for a corner, Walsh with the strike. Up the other end a Storey surge forward ended with Carson firing over the bar.

Ayr were running out of ideas and the pitch was starting to look the worse for wear as we entered the final ten minutes, but Inverness were resolute in defence and restricted Ayr to fleeting glimpses of goal whilst always looking dangerous on the break.

Time ran away from the hosts as they searched for a way through the visitors defence, but Danny Devine was calm under pressure and most Ayr raids floundered on the big defender back from injury. A deserving away win for Inverness after a frustrating few weeks and nobody was better than David Carson who was my MotM.

Match report written by tm4tj



Pld W D L F A +/- Pts
1. Hearts 17 12 2 3 43 19 24 38
2. Dunfermline 16 7 6 3 26 18 8 27
3. Raith Rovers 15 7 3 5 29 23 6 24
4. Queen of the South 17 6 3 8 25 35 -10 21
5. Dundee 14 5 5 4 26 27 -1 20
6. Morton 16 4 6 6 14 20 -6 18
7. Arbroath 17 4 6 7 14 20 -6 18
8. Inverness CT 13 4 5 4 20 16 4 17
9. Ayr United 15 4 5 6 20 20 0 17
10. Alloa Athletic 16 3 3 10 17 36 -19 12