ONE SAVE TOO FAR FOR STEVO

RYAN STEVENSON grabbed the gloves as an emergency keeper but he couldn’t stop Farid El Alagui giving Ayr their first league win in 16 attempts.

The midfielder was forced between the sticks with Raith’s regular keepers Kevin Cuthbert, Aaron Lennox and Conor Brennan all crocked.

And he looked on course for a clean sheet against his old club until Alagui nodded his first goal since signing.

Ayr are now within one point of Raith – who are 17 games without a win.

The SPFL refused their plea for a postponement after boss John Hughes was unable to come up with a stop-gap keeper.

But he refused to be drawn on the controversy.

Hughes said: “For the respect of Raith and me as a manager you don’t want my answer.

“In terms of effort and commitment it was all there but we are playing with a trepidation and lack of confidence. I’d no qualms about Ryan who acquitted himself well.”

Stand-in Stevenson, 32, was quickly in action and inside two minutes got down well to turn a header from El Alagui round the post for a corner. Ayr suffered a blow after five minutes when Paul Cairney was stretchered off and replaced by Michael Rose.

Raith came close to grabbing the lead four minutes later when Ryan Hardie set up Chris Johnston but his effort was scrambled off the line.

Ayr wasted a great chance when Brian Gilmour slipped a free-kick to Daryll Meggatt who blazed over.

Hardie was inches away for Rovers with a looping header from a Johnston cross but the ball smacked the bar.

Stevenson was called into action four minutes before the break when he got down to push aside a Rose shot from 20 yards.

But he was beaten at last in 62 minutes when Brian Gilmour and Forrest worked a short corner and Alagui rose at the back post to head home.

Ayr boss Ian McCall said: “Because of the circus surrounding the keeper situation we were on a hiding to nothing.

“There is relief at getting the win and it was great we had a lot of youngsters involved.”