It’s not Rover yet
Adams vows United have character for last push
Jamie Adams vowed Ayr can still win the league – even if they have to do it without scoring king Lawrence Shankland.
The 29 goal top gun will miss the final two games if he loses an appeal after being sent off for leading with his arm in a challenge.
But Adams believes Craig Moore and Michael Moffat are more than capable of maintaining the firepower which has seen Ayr score an incredible 121 goals this season.
Adams, who got two stitches in an eye cut after scoring Ayr’s equaliser, admitted: “The boys didn’t see that result coming. We’ve been playing well and our performance was decent considering the circumstances.
“But sometimes in football you don’t get the rub of the green and we didn’t get it today.
“Obviously it’s made it interesting but I think the way the season has gone it was always going to be like that.
“Raith and ourselves have been good from the start but we’ve had our ups and downs. Now it’s getting to the nitty gritty and time for the boys to step up and make sure we do it.
“Now we need to win at Alloa on Sunday. Raith will have got a wee lift from our result and they get to play before us.
“But we know if we win our next two games we’ll win the league.”
Adams said the players had no issue with Shankland for his red card which Ayr: Hart; Reid ( McGuffie, 12, Moffat 85), Rose, Bell, Ferguson; Forrest ( McDaid 66), Adams, Kerr, Crawford; Shankland, Moore. Unused subs: Hare- Reid, Faulds, Murphy, McCowan. Sent off: Shankland.
Stranraer: Currie, Robertson, Neill, McGowan, Hamill, MacPherson ( Hawkshaw 73), Agnew, Turner, Lyon ( Elliott 65), Anderson, Okoh ( Scott 57). Booked: Hamill, Scott.
Referee: Euan Anderson; Crowd: 2323. stood the game on its head.
He stressed: “Lawrence has been outstanding in his best ever season but he’s probably admitted to himself that he’s let us down a little bit.
“However, we’ve no problem with that as he has been outstanding the whole season. Without him, we wouldn’t be where we are.
“We are still in a good position that we would have taken at the start of the season so it’s down to us.
“Craig Moore and Michael Moffat are also scoring regularly and if it wasn’t for them Lawrence wouldn’t have had the season he’s had.
“I’m sure we’ve got the boys and character in the dressing room to get us over the line.”
Ayr fell behind in three minutes when Grant Anderson looped a header from a Scott Agnew cross over Jordan Hart.
Adams equalised in 15 minutes when he headed home an Alan Forrest corner and then smashed another header off the bar.
The game defining moment came in 32 minutes when Shankland was shown a straight red for a clash with Morgyn Neill.
That left Ayr up against it but their 10 men still chased the win and the bumper 2323 crowd groaned when Moore took a fresh air swipe after Declan McDaid picked him out in space.
The sting in the tail came with five minutes left when Adams brought down Kyle Turner for a penalty which former Ayr man Agnew stuck away.
However, Agnew can still play a key role in the title shoot- out when Stranraer chase a fifth win on the spin against Raith at Stair Park on Saturday.
A win for the Blues would give Ayr the chance to wrap up the title with a point away to Alloa on Sunday.
Boss Stevie Farrell admitted: “Ayr will hope we can do them a turn. We’ve beaten every team in the league this season.”