Free-scoring Honest Men sitting pretty at top of table
Ayr boss Ian Mccall praised his players after a crushing win which kept them top of the Championship.
The Honest Men gaffer said: “In the last half hour we were irresistible and we looked like we would score ever time we went up the park.” Doubles from Lawrence Shankland and Craig Moore, as well as a goal from Declan Mcdaid, secured the win with goalkeeper Ross Doohan saving a penalty when the score was tied at 1-1.
Mccall said: “We felt that we were in control in the first half hour and deserved to be in the lead until we made a bad error.
“They had their best spell after that but we came back strongly. Lawrence had five chances and scored twice, which is unusual as he normally scores five from five. “Craig Moore and Craig Mcguffie made big impacts as substitutes. The two of them have not had much game time recently and I have no idea what team I will pick next week because everyone is champing at the bit to play.
“It was a good day for us and a great win.”
Mccall’s side had chances early on with Robbie Crawford heading wide after a corner broke into his path and Shankland seeing a volley blocked by a diving Gregor Buchanan.
Shankland fared better on 19 minutes when he swept the Honest Men into the lead from six yards after Michael Rose had headed a Mcdaid corner back across goal. Morton equalised on 35 minutes when Charlie Telfer
took the ball off Crawford inside his own box and sent a low shot past Doohan and into the far corner.
The game could have turned out differently if the Greenock side had taken the lead four minutes into the second half when Gary Oliver was sent tumbling by Doohan.
However, Michael Tidser’s penalty was weakly hit and easily gathered by the shot-stopper.
Ayr grabbed their second goal after 75 minutes when a cross from Mcguffie was deflected high into the air and Moore turned it home for his first goal of the season. Within 60 seconds Moore found former Aberdeen and Queen’s Park striker Shankland with a cut-back and the forward drilled in his 17th goal of the season.
And as the visitors ran riot, Moore rifled home the fourth from the edge of the box. Declan Mcdaid crashed home a rebound to complete the scoring. Cappielow manager Jonatan Johansson was unhappy after suffering the first defeat of his Morton reign.
“I thought until they scored their second we were playing the best football we have since I came here,” said Johansson. “However, the way we capitulated was unacceptable. I will learn a lot from the game, especially as if you are to do anything in this league then you have to defend.”