An 70th minute equaliser by Ayr United's Jude McClymont pushed this 3rd round Scottish Youth cup tie to penalties. And it was the Somerset Park men who progressed to the next round winning the marathon shoot-out 13-12 at Townhead Park on Friday afternoon.
- Queen’s took the lead in the 17th minute through a Jayden Fitzpartick header after great work down the left by Conor Falls then Dom Brady.
- Ayr’s Jude McClymont equalised with a superb strike for 20 yards out in the 70th minute
- This was both sides first foray into this season’s Scottish Youth Cup.
Ayr won the toss and chose to shoot with the strong wind at their backs at Townhead Park, home of Cumnock Juniors.
The opening five minutes saw neither side dominate with Queen’s just edging the possession percentage.
In the sixth minute Ayr went close when Jack Allan evaded his defender down the left and shot past the far post.
Two minutes later Queen’s Jayden Fitzpatrick made a great run beating three Ayr defenders before winning a corner.
The young spiders continued to control possession but with nothing more than a couple of corners to show for their efforts.
In the 17th minute Queen’s opened the scoring. Conor Falls drove down the left wing and delivered a low cross into the Ayr six-yard box which was blocked. Dom Brady was first to react and sent a cross to Jayden Fitzpatrick to head home from seven yards out.
The game developed into a scrappy affair with neither side able to maintain possession for any length of time.
In the 37th minute Sam Kane produced a great block to deny an Ayr attack. This was immediately followed by a fast break initiated by Ross McLean who broke out of defence and passed to Conor Falls. Conor drove forward but the ball was intercepted by the Ayr keeper.
Half-time: Ayr United 0 Queen’s Park 1
Ayr came out for the second period determined to get back into the game. Despite facing a strong breeze and now rain showers they kept Queen’s pinned back in their half for the opening 10 minutes. Queen’s looked strong and well organised at the back, denying Ayr any chance to get inside their box.
Ayr’s pressure paid off in the 70th minute when full back Jude McClymont hammered home a superb strike from 20 yards out to put the Honest Men on level terms.
Both sided pushed for the winner but it wasn’t until the final minutes of the game that chances were created. First Ross McLean hit a low shot from 14 yard out which brought out a great save by Ollie Ecrepont in goal for Ayr. This was followed immediately by a fast break by Ayr which resulted in Sam Kane pushing over for a corner before pulling off another great save from a shot from the left.
In the dying seconds of the game Conor Falls played in Jamie Bradley but his shot was blocked by Ayr’s Weir.
Full-time: Ayr United 1 Queen’s Park 1
Ayr won the marathon penalty shoot-out 13-12 to progress to the 4th round of the Scottish Youth Cup
Ayr United: Ollie Ecrepont, Kyle Fraser, Jude McClymont, David Craig, Adam McNally, Lewis Allan, Evan Ferguson, Shaun Donnelly, Jack Allan, Jamie Hislop, Lucas McRoberts. Subs: Brandon Cullen, Blaike Hay, Joe Cassidy, Jack Pryce, Oliver McGrom, Aaron Weir, Liam Breuls.
Queen’s Park: Sam Kane, Leo Clark, Jude Bell, Leo Fisher, Michael Collie, Liam McVey, Jayden Fitzpatrick, Ross McLean, Conor Falls, Jamie Bradley, Dom Brady. Subs: Daniel Matheson, Alfie Lumsden, Finn Morrow, Josh Fitzpatrick, Lewis Burchill, Sam Gibson.