Managers post Ayr United

14/12/13: JJ - "I felt Josh Falkingham epitomised the whole team today.

Listen to these comments from Jim Jefferies after 4-2 win at Ayr

Jim Jefferies was delighted that his team with two seventeen year olds in the back four could come back from two goals down to record an impressive away win:-

"When you look at the first half, it is not as though we were bombarded. The boy (Brian Gilmour) took advantage of the elements, it was a great strike . He looked up (and hit it) and I do not think that there is a goalie who would have saved it. Not just because it was so difficult because the wind was going that way. It was swerving around, dipping and I do not think Scully could have done anything about it because his positioning wasn't bad. He came out to kick it and was on his way back. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't but it was a bit of a blow for us.

"Up until then they had had a couple of efforts, a header from Kevin Kyle on the edge of the box but he was too far out and a long ranged shot. Then young Ryan Williamson had covered great, he got the ball but just didn't execute the pass back. For a young kid of seventeen playing his first game away from home I admire him. I thought that could have got to him but what a lot of character he showed for a seventeen year old, to come away and play like he did having made that mistake. It only made him more determined to go.

Ryan Williamson

"He set up the goal just before half time when he played the ball in and Ryan Wallace laid it back. That was the key for us - getting the goal before half time. It swung the momentum towards us because I know I have been there myself, when you are 2-0 up and a goal comes back, you know who is going in the happier of the two. We said if we could get an equaliser early then we would go on and win it and that is how it turned out to be.

"Again I cannot speak highly enough about the young seventeen year old player at centre back today for his first game for the first team, Lewis Martin." Lewis and Ryan Williamson are both due to join the Scotland under 18 squad for training at Largs from Wednesday onwards and JJ revealed that he had had a discussion with Mark Wotte about the situation considering they might be required by Dunfermline for next Saturday's game at Arbroath.

"I might have had to withdraw them but we have come to a compromise so they will report for their Scottish gathering this week. The two kids showed today why they are in that squad because that was as good a debut for a seventeen year old playing against Kevin Kyle and the boy, Moffat who is one of the top scorers in the league. He was giving away a lot of years experience but I thought he was magnificent.

"I felt Josh Falkingham epitomised the whole team today. He led by example, he was tenacious and I thought he should have had a penalty in the first half when he was pulled down. He was on top of everything, he passed it well, had composure and won it when he had to. That is where you get the inspiration and spark from. If that doesn't rub off on you as a player ... that's what we have got, he shows those qualities that help other people on the field. Look at the size of him, that doesn't matter - he has a big heart, he can play, he has got skill, pace everything. He has a great football brain.

"At Wallace's second goal he was driving forward, he had beat a man and everybody expected him to shoot but he played a great little ball into  feet in the box and Wallace has done the rest. It came to his right side and Wallace has drilled the ball home. He was the one for me who was the pick of the outfield players but you have to give these two seventeen year olds a lot of credit today.

"Callum Morris was excellent, Whittle was excellent, so it was the whole back four. You couldn't blame them for losing two goals today, it wasn't anything other than a genuine mistake and the young boy will be hurting. Winning the game and the way he played will more than make up for it. Geggan was good driving, we didn't have a failure.

"To come back from 2-0 down this young team never felt sorry for themselves, they keep going and they showed today what a good unit they are. They are buzzing at the moment and that makes up for letting themselves down in the first half last week. Maybe that was a reaction to a tough cup tie with Ayr in midweek."

Jordan Moore came on for Stephen Husband with nine minutes to go and put the result out of any doubt making it 4-2 in 94th minute. Husband had played a full 90 minutes and Lewis Martin 75 minutes in the under 20s midweek match against St Mirren and the Manager felt that made their efforts against Mark Roberts' Ayr team all the more remarkable. Jim Jefferies continued:-

"I was always planning to play Hubby today despite these conditions to give Allan Smith a wee break. He has come in and got us a goal. Then when Jordan replaced him I was glad that he scored because it was a great move. Just before he miskicked it when all he needed to do was connect with it and it was in the net. He miskicked but then came up with a harder goal. He showed the skill he is capable of. If you look back he has scored one or two important goals. I thought about starting him today after scoring last week but I think he makes a real big impact when he comes on (off the bench)."

The 94th minute goal was Jordan's sixth of the season with in addition to last week's the Manager recalling two at Elgin and two against Stenhousemuir.

"There will come a time when he will get a start. He wants to start but we started him against Airdrie and he missed a penalty and two or three good chances. He was one on one with the goalkeeper so at least he cannot chap my door and argue because I could just bring that up. He has fitted in well with the boys. He can be a wee bit frustrating at times but you can see that there is something in there.

"That fourth goal we were looking for to kill the game. You just never know in these conditions; one slip or one good ball into the box but we defended it greatly. It was not easy for both sets of players today but to put on a 4-2 show was terrific.

"There were great goals as they kept continuing to try and play in these difficult conditions. It wasn't a day for pretty football. You could see when it was played long and high for Kevin Kyle it wasn't easy because the wind was swirling. Sometimes it is hard for defenders, sometimes hard for Kevin to get the full power on the ball.  When the ball was put on the deck we showed that we were better than Ayr and that's what won us the game."

It was a fitting end to a ten day period that had seen the Club officially come out of Administration and beat Ayr in a Cup Replay to earn a money spinning cup tie against Rangers at Ibrox:-

"It has been terrific; we were just waiting for that confirmation to come through - there is still a long tough road ahead but getting that cup tie will make a big difference. It is not for us, it is for the Club going forward, letting them plan ahead and making sure that we have a club next year because that loss they were probably envisaging this year will have a big hole in it. Now we can put that away and concentrate on trying to consolidate in this league and if we don't win it at least make the play offs.

"It would make it a great season if we could get up. With that game coming up, you could say that is the equivalent of having a good cup run because of the money that you are going to make. These boys will now focus on keeping winning. We are not going to win every game, neither are Stranraer, Ayr or Stenhousemuir but we need to win enough to make sure that we are in there for the play offs. It would take an awful drastic change in form to turn Rangers back. We just need to keep plodding away each week and hope that if there are a couple of results that go against them, you just never know. They are strong favourites but if we cannot finish first we will try and finish second."   

MATCH REPORT: Ayr United 2 Dunfermline 4

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