Jags blown away by hot Ayr
AYR UNITED unfurled the League One flag before kick-off — albeit after a technical hiccup — and immediately gave notice that they will not look out of place in higher company this season.
Ian McCall’s men scored 124 goals in a record-breaking campaign, with Lawrence Shankland hitting 29 of them from 33 appearances.
Understandably, Shankland, who added to his tally with a winning double, is now being courted by bigger clubs on both sides of the border but Ayr are reluctant to lose a player who has become a hero on the Somerset Park terraces.
Ayr manager McCall admitted: ‘That’s two weeks in a row they couldn’t handle Shankland. A lot of defences will find that out if he is still here, which I hope he is.
‘There is a lot of interest but he’s gutted that he didn’t score another hat-trick, which would have been his third in a row at Somerset.’
After Ayr’s managing director Lewis Grant completed the unfurling formalities, it took the hosts seven minutes to pick up from where they left off in last weekend’s Betfred Cup triumph in Maryhill.
Robbie Crawford was beavering his way into the penalty box when he was brought down by Sean McGinty.
Referee Craig Thomson had no doubt it was a penalty and up stepped Shankland (left) to fire home from 12 yards. Thistle did not look a team who plied their trade in the Premiership last season as Ayr took the game to their startled visitors. Michael Rose volleyed a shot just wide before Shankland glanced a header from a Daniel Harvie cross just left of Cammy Bell’s upright. It was no surprise when United doubled their lead. Michael Moffat fed Declan McDaid wide on the left and although his cross fell just behind Shankland the striker was unfazed as he reached out and slammed the ball past Bell.
No one could doubt Ayr were well worth their advantage as they played with pace and purpose. Every time the ball fell to Shankland, there was an air of expectancy among the home support and the striker never let them down.
At the other end, Chris Erskine shot straight at Ross Doohan before skipper Kris Doolan flashed a header just over from a Miles Storey cross.
There was, at last, some urgency in Thistle’s play and the last act of the first half saw Craig Slater send in a fierce shot which Doohan tipped past the post.
Ayr were quickly back on the offensive at the start of the second period and a sweeping move ended with a cross-cum-shot from Harvie being well gathered by Bell.
As the noisy Somerset Road end tried to suck the ball into the net, McDaid hared into the box to meet a cross from Andy Geggan but his parting effort sailed over.
Thistle responded on the hour by sending on Aidan Fitzpatrick for Max Melbourne and the newcomer’s quick turn of pace saw him skip clear of McDaid and lash an inviting ball across the face of goal where there were no takers.
Craig McGuffie underlined his class when he was introduced for Alan Forrest with 20 minutes remaining and few would have grudged Ayr a third goal.
Shankland could have wrapped it up with what would have been his third hat-trick of the new campaign but Bell saved his swept shot from Moffat’s delivery.
Thistle manager Alan Archibald admitted that his team’s performance was nowhere near good enough.
He said: ‘We killed ourselves at the start for the second game in a row and then our game plan went out the window.
‘It is always going to be hard coming from behind, especially when you are against the hottest striker in the league at the moment.’