Ruthless Hibs put Ayr on the brink
RAZOR-SHARP Hibs left Ayr needing a last-day miracle to avoid relegation as a Jason Cummings double and goals from Martin Boyle and Jason Keatings piled on the gloom at Somerset Park.
Ayr now need to beat second-bottom Raith by five goals at Stark’s Park on Saturday to leapfrog them into the relegation play-off.
Hibs boss Neil Lennon, who watched from the directors’ box to complete a two-game dug-out ban, said: ‘I thought we were different class today and it was a really polished performance.
‘Ayr didn’t seem to have the edge they had against us earlier in the season and we were comfortable.’
Hibs could have had a two-goal lead before scoring twice in a few minutes in the first half.
John McGinn set up the opener on 27 minutes, crossing for Cummings to head home.
The game was beyond Ayr three minutes later when Grant Holt muscled his way to the byeline and cut the ball back for Boyle to score.
Holt headed just wide from a McGinn cross but Ayr managed a brief response before the break with a Mike Rose free-kick which Ross Laidlaw saved at the second attempt.
Hibs were a threat going forward and substitute Keatings was on the park only six minutes when he slid the ball under Greg Fleming for their third goal.
Daryll Meggatt had a 30-yarder tipped over as Ayr tried to rally.
But this was all about the visitors, and Cummings grabbed his second when he was left free at the back post.
Ayr boss Ian McCall claimed: ‘The first half was horrible. If we do go down, the aim will be to win League One and come straight back up.
‘Miracles do happen in football — we have seen that with Hibs winning the (Scottish) Cup for the first time in 114 years.’