Home   Sport   Article

Caley Thistle's winless run in Cinch Championship stretches to nine games on another bad day for Billy Dodds' side


By Alasdair Fraser

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Billy Dodds.
Billy Dodds.

Inverness Caley Thistle (0) 1

Ayr United (1) 2

Att 1,850

(Scorers: ICT - Nicolson 86; Ayr - McGinty 35, Adeloye 64)

Ten-man Caley Thistle crashed to a costly home defeat to Ayr as their winless run stretched to nine games.

The Highlanders remain third in the Championship table, but a day that started brightly again ended in disappointment after the opportunist visitors proved far more clinical in front of goal.

Sean McGinty opened against the run of play with a free first half header and Tomi Adeloye netted the 64th minute second, before the hosts’ David Carson walked for a second yellow after a stamp on Adeloye.

Young Lewis Nicolson trimmed the margin late on, but it was too little, too late.

Ayr moved up to seventh after back to back wins.

The hosts lost goalkeeper Mark Ridgers to illness, with skipper Sean Welsh also absent, while Austin Samuels dropped to the bench.

In came Cameron Harper, Logan Chalmers and keeper Cammy MacKay.

Unchanged Ayr, buoyed by a superb win over local rivals Kilmarnock, were quickly on the back foot.

Caley Jags’ wingers Logan Chalmers and Sam Pearson, brought in on loan from Dundee United and Bristol City respectively, were lively in taking the game to Ayr.

A clever Billy Mckay flick after 10 minutes sent Shane Sutherland through on goal but the offside flag halted the striker in his stride.

Chalmers was giving Ayr right-back Jordan Houston headaches at times with his movement and trickery but Ayr’s 35th minute opener stung the hosts out of the blue.

Mark McKenzie forced a corner on the right and Kerr McInroy’s corner found skipper Sean McGinty free to head home from inside the six-yard box.

Three minutes before the break, Chalmers drew a brilliant save down low from keeper Aidan McAdams.

Sutherland picked up the loose ball and teed up Billy Mckay, but he sent a deflected shot just wide.

Just before the hour mark, a home mistake almost gifted Ayr their second as Kirk Broiadfoot took a heavy touch on a Harper header and McInroy drove at goal.

MacKay made a superb reflex block.

But the Honest Men grabbed their second after 64 minutes from a McInroy free-kick.

McKenzie’s strike from the right side of the box was diverted past MacKay by the knee of Tomi Adeloye, with his first touch moments after entering the fray.

The home agony piled higher soon after as David Carson received a second yellow card for a stamp on Adeloye that might have merited a red on its own.

Young left-back Lewis Nicolson dragged it back to 2-1 four minutes from time with what looked like an attempted cross from the left.

INVERNESS CALEY THISTLE (4-4-1-1) - MacKay 7; Duffy 5 (Hardy 71, 4), Broadfoot 5, Deas 5, Harper 6 (Nicolson 78, 5); Pearson 6 (Hyde 78, 4), Carson 5, McAlear 6, Chalmers 7 (Doran 78, 4); Sutherland 5 (Samuels 65, 4); Mckay 5. Subs: Esson.

Booked: Carson 19, Harper 33,

AYR UNITED (4-4-1-1) - McAdams 7; Houston 5 (Rowe 62, 5), Muirhead 6, McGinty 7, Reading 6; McKenzie 7, Murdoch 6, McInroy 8, Maxwell 6; Dempsey 6; Ashford 6 (Adeloye 62, 6). Subs: Albinson, O’Connor, Baird, Gondoh, Fjortoft, Bryden, Smith.

Booked: McKenzie 30

Referee: Kevin Clancy


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More