Dunfermline Athletic

Archives | Ayr United 0 Dunfermline 1

Dunfermline`s first win in nine visits to Somerset Park lifted them to third place in the Championship, at least until the next day`s fixtures were played.

Six weeks previously Ayr United defeated the Pars 1-0 at KDM Group East End Park. This Halloween fixture afforded the Fifers the opportunity to leapfrog their opponents into third place but the home side were undefeated at home since losing to Raith Rovers on 9th August.

Neil Lennon made three changes, Deniz Mehmet for Mason Munn, John Tod for Shea Kearney and Rory Macleod for Keith Bray. It would be Deniz`s first league start for over a year. Scott Brown also made three changes to his Ayr XI, Dylan Watret, Kevin Holt and Anton Dowds dropping out to make way for Nick McAllister, Liam Dick and Ethan Walker. Both sides named just eight subs suggesting there were injuries in both squads.

After captains of both sides laid wreaths of remembrance, the Last Post and a minute`s silence Ayr United kicked off attacking the goal in front of the home fans. First chance fell to the visitors in six minutes from an Ayr throw in that was headed back towards their own goal but Charlie Gilmour intervened and Barney Stewart got half a chance that the defence mopped up. Mehmet then held an Ayr effort from the edge of the box before the Pars were awarded a free kick when Marco Rus halted Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen`s progress down the right. Matty Todd`s delivery towards the far side of the box was defended all too easily however.

On the quarter hour Mark McKenzie was able to play a dangerous ball in towards the six yard box that Nurudeen Abdulai cut out for Ayr`s first corner of the evening. They overhit that and the pressure was back off the Pars defence. Walker made a dangerous break down the right to slip the ball inside for McKenzie and Hamilton slid in to clinically take the ball.

Stewart forced a 23rd minute corner but when Todd launched that into Jamie Murphy went to the ground and a free kick was given. The left upright would then keep the scores level, McKenzie`s shot touched on to the post by Mehmet. Bannigan found Andrew Tod to give the Pars an opportunity from a setpiece 30 yards out but Macleod crashed the ball past the five man wall and outside the right post.

Dunfermline kept up the pressure with a surging run by Chilokoa-Mullen run, playing the ball off Stewart in creating a cross for A Tod to finish but the offside flag had been raised. Moments later Stewart sent a header wide of David Mitchell`s goal and Hamilton drilled a shot narrowly wide from 25 yards out. Ayr responded with Rus taking play back into the Fifers half and the defence showed some coolness to deflate their hopes.

Murphy blasted a cross against J Tod to win a 37th minute corner. Again they wasted that with Walker putting too much on his delivery. Macleod produced a snapshot to test Mitchell from 30 yards out before Todd forced a corner with three minutes to half time. The corner on the right went short from Todd to Macleod and back to Todd. The Pars no.10 then sent in a cross that saw STEWART rise, 14 yards out to head with precision into the bottom left of the home net. 0-1

Mehmet had to fist away another tricky cross but the Pars saw out the first 45 to go in with a well deserved lead.

Half Time: Ayr United 0 Dunfermline 1

In just 47 minutes the Pars relied on their 33 year-old keeper to turn over Mehmet a fierce strike from Walker and from the resultant corner from the left, Murphy sent a screamer of a shot wide left. Ayr then created a super chance when Walker raced away from Abdulai, Mehmet saved initially and then Murphy blasted the chance at Abdulai.

Ayr maintained their attacking play, Mehmet was tested again and when Abdulai conceded a corner, Walker`s corner was kept out but Murphy injured Mehmet as he backed into him. Another corner followed that fortunately did not worry the Pars defence. It had been all Ayr in the second half and in 68 minutes two substitutions saw Alfons Amade and Jefferson Cáceres replace Chris Hamilton and Rory Macleod.

The two subs almost made the perfect start, Amade winning the ball on the right side of the Ayr box and Cáceres accepting the chance from the cross to shoot but to great disappointment the Peruvian`s effort went wide right. The Pars continued to do some desperate defending, frustrating Ayr and their supporters. Abdulai cleared when Mehmet came out to the advancing Curtis Main.

In 84 minutes Main drove a shot into the arms of Mehmet. With all the stoppages and substitutions there would be five additional minutes but these were negotiated satisfactorily. The travelling support sang `˜there`s only one Neil Lennon` to celebrate Dunfermline`s first win at Somerset Park since December 2019, three points that saw them up to third place in the Championship.

AYR UNITED: David Mitchell: Nick McAllister(Anton Dowds 77), Liam Dick, Leon King, Scott McMann: Jamie Murphy (c), Kyle Ure, Stuart Bannigan (Jude Bonnar 62), Marco Rus, Ethan Walker, Mark McKenzie (Curtis Main 72).
SUBS NOT USED: Shaun Want, Kevin Holt, Dom Thomas, Jamie Hislop, Liam Russell (GK).
YELLOW CARDS: McMann (45+1), Dick (87), Murphy (90)

DUNFERMLINE: Deniz Mehmet: Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen, Nurudeen Abdulai, John Tod: Matty Todd (Sam Fisher 76), Charlie Gilmour, Chris Hamilton (c) (Alfons Amade 68), Robbie Fraser: Rory Macleod (Jefferson Cáceres 68), Barney Stewart (Kane Ritchie-Hosler 82), Andrew Tod
SUBS NOT USED: Ewan Otoo, Keith Bray, Tashan Oakley-Boothe, Mason Munn (GK).
SCORER: Stewart (42)
YELLOW CARDS: Hamilton (53), J Tod (85)

REFEREE: Grant Irvine
ATTENDANCE: 2015 (inc 293 away fans)
WEATHER: Fine 11°C

NEXT MATCH: (home) William Hill Championship v St Johnstone. Saturday 8th November 2025, kick off 3.00p at KDM Group East End Park


Highlights - Ayr United 0 Dunfermline 1



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