Inverness Caledonian Thistle promotion dream ends with late defeat to Ayr United

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Scottish Championship

Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1

Ayr United 2

Scorers - Inverness: Shaw (82) Ayr: Mullin (35) McKenzie (88)

Inverness Caledonian Thistle will remain in the Championship next season after falling to defeat against Ayr United at the Caledonian Stadium.

Josh Mullin's gave Ayr United the lead 10 minutes from the break but Nathan Shaw equalised eight minutes from time.

But Mark McKenzie scored with two minutes remaining to send them into the play-off and kill off Caley Thistle's promotion dream.

Inverness finished in sixth place in the Championship, with Dundee winning the Championship after winning 5-3 at Queen's Park.

Ayr United finished in second place, with Queen's Park third and Partick Thistle fourth completing the play-off places.

Cove Rangers were relegated with Hamilton Academical in ninth and will play in the Championship play-offs with Falkirk, Airdrie and Alloa.

Inverness now face a wait of 29 days until their last match of the season against Celtic in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden on Saturday, June 3.

Inverness kept faith with the same starting 11 which defeated Falkirk 3-0 in the Scottish Cup Semi Final six days ago.

Caley Thistle came into the match in good form with seven wins in their last eight matches.

Ayr United won their first game in five matches against Raith Rovers last weekend, but hadn't lost since a 2-0 defeat to Arbroath at the end of March.

Ayr broke the deadlock 10 minutes before the break, Mullin beat the offside trap to run on Chris Maguire's pass.

One on one with Mark Ridgers, the former Ross County player fired a low drive into the net from 12 yards.

Inverness started brightly in the second half and almost equalised when Billy Mckay's cross from the right wing finds Austin Samuels in the box but he can't guide shot on target.

A minute later, Austin Samuels thought he equalised when his shot parried off goalkeeper Charlie Albinson and it almost trundled over the line. But Frankie Musonda cleared before it went in.

Inverness pressed for an equaliser with 15 minutes remaining, with Henderson's ball from the right wing finding Mckay. His cross into the box found David Carson, but he hit wide of the right post from 10 yards out.

But they did level eight minutes from time when Mckay sent a ball through to the centre of the defence which Shaw latched on to and fired from close range.

However, Ayr United retook the lead two minutes from time when a cross from the right wing from Daire O'Connor was unchallenged by Inverness defence and McKenzie tapped home from close range.

Ridgers, Duffy, Harper (Carson 45), Welsh (Woods 80), Deas, Devine (Delaney 73), Mckay, Mackay (Samuels 45), Allardice (Hyde 73), Henderson, Shaw.

Substitutes: MacKay, Doran, MacGregor, Boyd.

Ayr: Albinson, Reading, Musonda, McGinty, Murdoch (Bryde 85), Dempsey, Akinyemi Mullin (Mckenzie 76), Hewitt, Ashford (McAlear 68), Maguire (Mitchell-Lawson 76)

Substitutes: McAdams, O' Connor, McAllister, Smith, Jenkins.

Referee: Don Robertson

Attendance 3435

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