U19s v Ayr United

Wind assisted young Pars get off to a flying start in their league campaign.

DUNFERMLINE 2 AYR UNITED 0
Dunfermline U19s opened their SFL league campaign with a 2-0 win over Ayr United. On a blustery Sunday afternoon at the Fleet Ground in Rosyth the home side took full advantage of playing the first half with their backs to the wind.

Lee Graham had come close with a header at an eighth minute corner before the Pars opened the scoring just four minutes later, Rees Smith won possession in the Ayr half and Steven Leslie prodded the ball on for John MacDonald to brush off several challenges and reach the byeline from where he cut back a great ball for Jordan WHITE to slot in at the right post from 12 yards.

Graham came close to adding to that at a corner on the quarter hour but his header was blocked and Harry McGregor`s follow up suffered the same fate.

A second Dunfermline goal came on 19 minutes when Ryan THOMSON was felled on the edge of the Ayr box. He stepped up to take the free kick and melted that through the five man defensive wall and the keeper. Thomson drove a shot on to the right goalpost six minutes later after a fantastic run by MacDonald created the fine delivery from the left.

Ayr had just the one opportunity in the first half as George Thomson beat off Graham`s challenge to feed Aaron Connelly in the centre of the box but two great defensive actions from Smith denied the Ayr striker of a shot.

Ayr made two half time substitutions and Chris Lennon replaced Jordan White just three minutes into the second half. Ayr saw much more of the ball but still Dunfermline could have increased their advantage when Blair McWhirter accepted a pass from Lewis Turner before sending in a cross that Leslie got oh so close to converting.

Lennon shot high and wide from an angle after being sent through by McWhirter before Ayr were awarded a penalty in 72 minutes. Craig Bald was yellow carded for inadvertently taking down Connelly on the edge of his box and a penalty was awarded to the visitors. Connelly, prolific last season was unable to open his account as his rather tame shot was saved by Bald.

The Ayr bench sent on Dale Moore for Ross Dyson but then were forced to reverse that since the referee deemed United to have already committed three subs. Protestations made no difference as the whistler refused to note that only numbers 15 and 18 had come on to replace 8 and 10.

Clearly the ref had never heard that in Ayr ne`er a place surpasses for honest men! To add further irony and pain in defeat to Ayr, the player who should not have been on the park, Dyson, was red carded in the last minute.