Airdrie 2-2 Ayr United

I woke up yesterday morning to a text message "Are you excited?" I would like to have thought this was going to turn in to some sordid text conversation, but it went on to say "about the first home game? The first Airdrie game on the new pitch? First use of the season ticket?"

I’m a grown man but the message sent me over the edge, in truth I was still buzzing after the East Fife game and wanted to see more of what Boyle’s Babes could do, I only hoped the match wouldn’t disappoint.

Airdrie welcomed ex-Celtic winger Phil Johnston to the team for his first match and Boyle lined the team up in a 4-4-2 formation. I never managed to pick up a team sheet ahead of Saturdays game but this is how the teams lined up.

Airdrie: Vs  Ayr United

Ridgers    1-    Crawford
Bain        2-    Tiffoney
Stallard    3-    Keenan
Gibson     4-    Campbell
Grant      5-    Smith
Keast      6-    Trouten
McCord    7-    McLaughlin
Devlin     8-    McKeown
Watt      9-    Roberts
Gemmill   10-   Reynolds
Johnston 11- Easton

Subs
Donnelly    -    Connolly
Wallace     -    Robertson
McGregor  -    McWilliams
Gianluca    -    Woodburn
Burns        -    Milligan 

To put faces to the names check out Robert Dalzell web page.

Ayr began the game with four players that have let Airdrie fans down to one degree or another in the past and you would have thought we would have learned our lesson, these guys always perform against us the more abuse we send their way the better they seem to perform and even though Boyles babes started the match well it took only five minutes for two of them to combine and put Ayr 1 – 0 up.

Trouten made a run down the wing and fired in a cross that was slammed in to the back of the net by Roberts.  That was on five minutes and it opened up the flood gates.

On 12 minutes Jamie Bain received a yellow card for dangerous play, his foot was a little high, it was just unfortunate an Ayr player stuck his head down to meet it, he didn’t hit him!

On 18 minutes Airdrie hit the cross bar and the battle continued.

On 28 minutes the structure of the game changed as Jamie Bain received a straight red for what will be considered a professional foul.  The midfield and central defence had the chance to stop a run through the centre of the park by Trouten (I think) but it was Bain who finally made the telling challenge halting the run the only way he could, he took the player when he couldn’t get the ball. It was not a bad foul there was no chance of injuring the Ayr attacker, but it had to be done and he should be rather miffed that it was left to him when there was ample opportunity before that.

The rest of the half was an attempt to contain Ayr – wait no it wasn’t we may have been down to ten men but there was no panic in the ranks we restructured in to a 4-3-2 and continued to battle away with Gemmel and Watt taking turns to support the midfield.

Both teams had chances towards the end of the half dominated by Ayr, I suppose we should have been grateful it was only 1 – 0.

The second half