County fend off Ayr fightback to go top
AYR UNITED were toppled from the Championship summit but would surely have taken this back in July.
A point off first place at the close of the Championship’s first quarter, last season’s League One winners continue to defy expectations.
A powerful first-half display from Ross County ebbed in the face of a stirring revival from Ian McCall’s stubborn and spirited team.
Before the interval, Billy Mckay netted his eighth goal of the season and Josh Mullin scored a wonder-strike, before the ever-ravenous Lawrence Shankland claimed a 19th of the campaign in 50 minutes.
It added up to a thrilling spectacle, with County co-manager Steve Ferguson effusive in praise of both his own team and the visitors.
‘We started the game exactly as we wanted and scored a couple of really good goals,’ said Ferguson.
‘The second half was a different game altogether and fair play to Ayr for that. Being top after the first quarter was a target, but to get there we had to deal with a good Ayr side.’
In 23 minutes, Ross County full-back Sean Kelly swerved the ball across from the left and it took a nick off Jamie Lindsay’s head before spinning to Mckay, who rocketed the ball high into the net from 12 yards.
Davis Keillor-Dunn rattled the post, before Mullin’s wonderful 34th-minute finish. The winger wound past several challenges before unleashing a perfect, rising left-foot connection into the top-left corner of the net.
Ayr needed a second-half response — and what a response they gave.
Sheer power from Shankland took him away from Callum Morris before lashing in a trademark finish.
Late on, it took a brilliant tip over the bar by goalkeeper Scott Fox to deny the striker an equaliser.
Ayr manager McCall said: ‘I had a wee go at them at the break and we were more aggressive — a draw would have been a fair result in the end.’