Moore the merrier as double helps sink lacklustre Jags
Ian Mccall admitted Partick Thistle are in a relegation fight after his old team Ayr United added to the Maryhill misery with a rampant victory.
A double from Craig Moore and goals from Michael Moffat and Alan Forrest made it a performance to savour for new Somerset Park boss Mark Kerr, who plied his trade under Mccall at three clubs before succeeding him in the dugout.
Mccall claimed: “If you put aside the side show, Ayr were very good and we were very poor.
“The second-half was far better but that’s only because Ayr took their foot off the gas.
“Everybody talks about top four but we’re not.
“We are in a relegation fight and although there will be three or four other teams dragged into it, we need to start winning.
“Today wasn’t good enough and I take full responsibility for it, no other manager.
“We have to do better.
“A lot of work needs done. We were excellent against Dundee United at Tannadice in midweek but today we could have been 5-0 or 6-0 down at half-time.
“I have been completely honest with the players.
“They have got until January and I hope a lot of them come through and do better.”
Ayr almost caught the visitors cold after only two minutes.
A sparkling attack saw Moore force a good save from Scott Fox only for Luke Mccowan to blast the rebound over.
Kerr’s men were clearly fired up for this one and they deservedly took the lead after 11 minutes.
On-loan Ranger Jamie Houston fired in a low hard cross which Moore cleverly swept into the bottom corner.
Ayr doubled their advantage six minutes later.
Forrest slipped the ball to Mccowan whose teasing cross was met by Moffat who stooped to head home his 96th goal as an Honest Man.
Mccall, who had started the game in the directors’ box, dashed down to the trackside in an attempt to arrest his team’s dismal start.
He hooked Shea Gordon and sent on Lewis Mansell after 28 minutes but still Ayr dictated the play as Thistle struggled to get a foothold in the game.
Forrest went close to a third goal just before the interval when he fired narrowly over from Mccowan’s perfect pass.
Rampant Ayr buried Thistle with two goals in three minutes at the start of the second-half as Ian Mccall’s day went from bad to worse.
Moore fizzed home a 25-yard rocket and then Forrest capped a mazy run with a curling finish into the bottom corner.
It took Thistle 55 minutes to register their first serious effort on goal but Joe Cardle’s shot from distance smacked off the outside of the post.
Cardle pulled back a consolation goal with 12 minutes to go when he rose unchallenged to head home a Ryan Williamson cross.
And in a late flurry, substitute Lewis Mansell missed a pinch right in front of goal.
Ayr chief Kerr, who made it two victories from three games in charge, claimed: “We were outstanding from start to finish.
“We have a togetherness and it’s been smooth since I took over.”
Kerr claimed a key role in the victory had been played by his assistant Michael Mcardle.
He revealed: “He has been working on a few things with the strikers and we got two goals from it today.
“Whoever is going to come and get these boys we will enjoy them while they are here or, if they stay, we will look to improve them.”