COLLY BLASTS ANGRY ACCIES
Ayr boss slams Hamilton fans calling for Canning sacking
Ian McCall leapt to the defence of under- fire Hamilton boss Martin Canning and claimed fans who called for his head were outrageous.
Goals from Alan Forrest and Robbie Crawford put Ayr on easy street before Louis Longridge pulled back a goal deep in stoppage time for the top-flight side.
Furious fans called for Canning to be sacked as they rounded on the beleaguered manager at full-time.
But their behaviour disgusted his opposite number McCall who said he couldn’t believe what he heard.
McCall said: “I’ve been in football for 35 years and a certain element of the Hamilton support need to have a good look at themselves.
“To call for the manager, who has just kept them in the league, to be sacked on the first day of the season is outrageous.”
Canning cut a solemn figure at time-up as he appealed for the barrackers to get behind his struggling side.
He said: “I would ask them to be patient and stay behind the team. I am trying hard to bring in players.
“I know there is frustration but to maintain our Premier League status last season was the most important thing.
“It’s a difficult league and a difficult job to continually punch above your weight.
“We know we have to do better but it was only our second 90 minutes of the season. There are no excuses – we should be coming here to win the game but there was a bit of desire missing.”
Accies debut keeper Remi Matthews, signed on loan from Norwich only hours before kick- off, had a horror start as Ayr raced ahead in only 68 seconds.
Daryll Meggatt was sent tumbling in the box by Darian MacKinnon as he tried to reach a Brian Gilmour corner. After MacKinnon was booked, Forrest sent Matthews the wrong way from the spot.
Stunned Accies hit back with a series of corners but found no way through a solid home defence that was well marshalled by Meggatt and veteran Peter Murphy.
Hami lton had the lion’s share of possession but Ayr were happy to hit them hard on the break.
And they went 2- 0 up four minutes into the second period when Crawford cut past a defender and swerved home a left-foot shot from 20 yards.
Hamilton’s misery increased when Spanish defender Garcia Tena twisted his knee and was stretchered off after a lengthy stoppage. Accies became more and more frantic but the Ayr defence was in a mean mood and stood firm. And the home team almost grabbed a third on the break when Forrest raced clear on to a Nicky Devlin pass but couldn’t cash in.
When Longridge struck deep in injury time with a shot from the edge of the box, Ayr were already home and dry.
McCall added: “You could see in the last 25 or 30 minutes that we are nowhere near ready in terms of fitness.
“However, we had a lot of good performances and contained them.”