Dunfermline 1 Ayr United 0
Tuesday, 2nd Oct 2007Glass breaks the Ayr defence as Pars smash through to Final this time.
Dunfermline Athletic`s two previous Challenge Cup Semi Finals in seasons 1994-95 and 1995-96 saw the Pars fail to beat Dundee and then Dundee United. This season it was the United of Ayr that stood between them and their first ever final in this competition.
Dunfermline made four changes from the side that defeated Partick Thistle on Saturday. Out went Darren Young, Stevie Crawford, Mark Burchill and Jim Hamilton, in came Scott Thomson, Iain Williamson, Jim McIntyre and Owen Morrison. Ayr United had two changes forced through suspension - Craig Pettigrew and striker Alex Williams missed out being replaced by David Lowing and former Burntisland Shipyard player, Gareth Wardlaw.
The cup tie started tamely and had Ayr keeper Barry John Corr not touched behind an Owen Morrison shot that was already going wide right then the Pars might not have been inside the visitors in the opening ten minutes. When Tam McManus sent the corner over from the right it was easily defended.There was plenty of pretty passing moves from the Pars but nothing that looked like penetrating the resolute Ayr defence. A Williamson cross was headed over his own crossbar by Jerome Vareille to give the Pars another corner but the 18th minute one created no danger either. When David Lowing sent another behind his own goal Morrison`s corner was better but McIntyre just couldn`t beat off a defenders challenge.
Dunfermline`s closest of the game so far came in 21 minutes when a good shot from 30 yards off the boot of Morrison was narrowly off target to the right. Ayr had a header that Michael Moore directed just outside the Pars left post and then the same player broke through on the left only to have his shot bravely blocked by Scott Wilson.
The Second Division side were giving as good as they got and Sol Bamba was required to ease out the danger a couple of times. Glass and Simmons conceded free kicks that gave the opposition opportunities to pump the Pars box but neither attempts caused any problems.
On the half hour Wilson`s challenge on Wardlaw brought another free kick 25 yards out on the right Vareille sent that one into the Pars box but despite a row of attackers racing in the ball went straight through for a goal kick.
Neil Watt`s men got even closer in 41 minutes when Wardlaw`s cross deflected off Bamba and Thomson had to head off his own line after the ball spun over Gallacher`s head.
In the early stages it looked like Dunfermline might just need a goal to start an avalanche but Ayr came right into the game in the second quarter and but for a Simmons effort wide left and blocked drive from McManus there were no other shots at Corr`s goal. Just before the interval McIntyre headed a Thomson cross straight at the keeper so at the break there had been nothing to alter the scoreline.
Half Time: Dunfermline 0 Ayr United 0
Scott McBride was the half time substitute for captain Thomson. The 18 year old, attacking midfielder assumed a role on the left flank. Morrison switched to the right and Williamson dropped back to full back. Scott Wilson wore the captain`s armband as Dunfermline started with determination demonstrated by a shot narrowly outside the right post from McManus with barely 20 seconds on the watch.
When a David Dunn corner in 50th minute was directed back towards the right post with an overhead kick Murray Henderson`s header was powered wide left. Chris Robertson then tested Gallacher with a stinger of a shot from 30 yards out and it was only the visiting platoon of supporters who were singing.
The Fife fans broke into applause on the hour when McManus received a Williamson pass on the right side of the box to travel past a defender and force Corr to parry his shot. Unluckily he then knocked the rebound on the wrong side of the far post. McBride blasted a half chance over the crossbar before Eddie Forrest`s free kick was deflected for a corner at the other end.
Morrison received a long diagonal ball from McManus, took a touch and just twelve yards out was picking his spot as Forrest slid in to blot out the attempt and a throw in was all there was to show for it.
McManus then swung a nice ball left from the centre circle for McBride to race on to and his cross won a corner but nothing else.
Ayr were in no way giving up and were unfortunate not to turn in a Vareille cross from the right corner flag in 72nd minute. Only the presence of Bamba denied a row of inrushing Ayr men. Williamson booted away another good cross into the Pars box and they continued to show great eagerness to cause an upset.
McManus`s 79th minute shot was deflected behind for a corner as Jim Hamilton replaced Stephen Simmons. Dunfermline had been shot shy and with Ayr pulling eight men back they were finding it near impossible to make a breakthrough. But seven minutes from extra time a brilliant strike from Stephen GLASS, receiving and hitting sweetly from all of 35 yards, found the net.
DUNFERMLINE: Paul Gallacher; Scott Thomson (Scott McBride HT), Souleymane Bamba, Scott Wilson, Stephen Glass; Tam McManus, Stephen Simmons (Jim Hamilton 79), Nick Phinn, Owen Morrison; Iain Williamson, Jim McIntyre (Mark Burchill 62).SUBS NOT USED: John McCulloch, Sean Murdoch (GK).
SCORERS: Glass (83)
AYR UNITED: Barry John Corr; Stephen Swift, David Lowing, Eddie Forrest, Murray Henderson, Ryan Stevenson, Jerome Vareille (David Hamilton 86), Chris Robertson, Michael Moore, Gareth Warlaw, David Dunn
SUBS NOT USED: Mark Casey, Alistair Woodburn, Mark McGeown, Paul Fletcher
YELLOW CARD: Forrest (82)
REFEREE: John Underhill
WEATHER: Dry 15°C
ATTENDANCE 1744
NEXT MATCH: (away) First Division v Queen of the South, Saturday 6th October 2007, kick off 3.00pm
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