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An excellent result against potentially very difficult opposition in far from ideal weather conditions. As is usually the case in Ayr the home side started very brightly. We often find ourselves under the cosh early doors at Somerset and today was no different with the windy conditions not helping. Ayr settled quickly and were soon stroking the ball around well looking to hit Walsh and McCowan on their respective flanks. The former, well known to ICT fans of course, was the main focus as he frequently cut inside Duffy on the left flank and looked to hang balls up to the back post for team mates to attack. Whilst Walsh was looking threatening on the Ayr left, on the other side the in form McCowan was being marshalled well by Harper with the Ayr player barely in the game until a tactical switch by Kerr later in the first half saw him move into the middle. Bizarrely the first chance of the game fell to the Ayr keeper Sinisalo when he launched a goal kick forward which caught the wind and almost had Ridgers scrambling to keep it out of harms way. Not too long after this Cammy Smith broke through the ICT defence and cut the ball back for team mate Moffat but the ICT defence was able to clear the danger. Most of our attacks were starting from long balls forward with Toddy displaying some deft control to take in these high balls and link with team mates to relieve the pressure on the Caley Thistle rear-guard. Carson, breaking forward, fired a low pass to the feet of Sutherland just inside inside the penalty area and he rolled his marker and shot straight at the United keeper. Ayr were next to threaten when Walsh, again cutting back onto his right foot, swung a high cross to the back post from the left where Michael Miller met it and found the net but it was correctly ruled out for a push on Harper. Todorov then had a chance with a similar effort to that of Sutherland a few minutes before as he also rolled his marker in the box but he too sent his effort down the keepers throat. Not long after this we opened the scoring with a crisp counter attack. Devine sent a controlled ball to the feet of Todorov who collected the ball and played it across to Sutherland on the Ayr right side. He then laid the ball off to the onrushing MacKay who strode onto it confidently and dispatched his shot beyond the despairing Sinisalo to open the scoring. Ayr responded with a tactical switch moving Walsh to the right, Smith to the left and let McCowan roam in the middle behind Moffat and it almost paid off when McCowan found himself just inside the penalty area in acres of space but he wasn't able to make the best of the opportunity and ICT were able to clear the danger. McCowan then almost scored again when his header from a Walsh cross was beaten round the post at close range by Ridgers. This was to be the last we would see of McCowan in the game as he was completely negated by Allardice and Carson in the second half and whilst Walsh continued to offer a threat on the Ayr right Smith drifted from the game on the opposite flank and this change really curtailed Ayr as a fluent attacking force. Only a few minutes into the second half and we grabbed a vital second goal. Todorov saw his effort blocked by his own team mate Sutherland and it was Caithness Cristiano who was first to the ball to fire it into the net with Ayr players claiming for offside. And it was almost three when Todorov bundled his way into the box and with MacKay unmarked in the centre chose to go it alone but saw his shot suppressed by a late challenge. Allardice was next to threaten for Inverness when he sent a free kick low under the Ayr wall as it jumped and it was partially saved by Sinisalo and United cleared at the second attempt. Again, the next best chance fell the way of ICT when Robbie Deas met a free kick from only a few yards out but his header was right at the Ayr keeper. Ayr almost got a goal back when Walsh, still causing problems for Harper on the ICT left, flashed a ball across goal which MacKenzie latched onto but he sent his low effort wide of the goal with Ridgers stranded. Walsh then had an effort at goal himself when he collected the ball at the back post and leathered an effort towards goal which Ridgers saved with his knee with Devine also lunging in to block. In the end though we hung on for a big three points after an excellent performance that probably should have seen us concede a goal but also should really have been much more comfortable given the chances that were passed up. Big call for Robbo to drop four players from Wednesday but they paid dividends with MacGregor, Todorov and Carson all impressing today. MacGregor offers a much more mobile link between our midfield two in front of the defence and the wide players / forward than Keatings does whilst Carson was tenacious alongside Allardice marshalling McCowan well after he moved inside and also breaking forward to support our counters attacks. Todorov showed some excellent touches holding the ball up and Ridgers pulled off some superb saves particularly from McCowan and Walsh in each half. As mentioned earlier I think Kerr's changes to the three behind Moffat disrupted the fluency of Ayr's attacks and whilst Walsh was still a threat McCowan and Smith were anonymous after the break. They didn't seem to have anything in the centre of the pitch to break up our counter attacks with Murdoch and Chalmers nowhere to be seen at times. Ayr TV was really good I though. The camera they used for most of the game wasn't the best quality but it was fine for me. Any time they wiped it down they cut to another camera that seemed to offer a better quality picture and a nicer view of the game as well. Shame they didn't use that more often. The commentary team were absolutely superb. By far and away the best I've experienced this season. The co-commentator, I forget her name, in particular was a highlight. Noticed so many little changes and tweaks made in game by both sides. Don't suppose they fancy doing our game on Tuesday?

Anyone shouting for the managers head this week? Great result and well deserved and agree with Robert. David Carson was tremendous. As Robert said, the difference this week was that we put the ball in the back of the net after some tidy interplay. Had we done the same against Queen of the South we would have strolled the game. Queens result today made our performance in midweek look like Brazil at their best....without the goals. We'll laugh about it one day. Ridgers was good today as was Danny Devine. No one stood out as being poor so good day at the office all round.

That was great to see and hopefully the wee pick me up the players and fans needed. Need to use this as a springboard to build up momentum for all the upcoming games.

Brilliant result today. Consolidating performance level now and hopefully pick up some more much needed points. Every point a prisoner.

Great result today well done to the team that might give us more confidence for the Hearts game on Friday with all the other results today.

Once we weathered the storm (literally) of the first 10 minutes, we pretty much controlled the game and could have been 2 up before we opened the scoring. We remembered to play the second half today, and deservedly got a second and it could have been more. It was only really in the last few minutes that Ayr worried us, but Ridgers was a match for what they threw at us with one excellent save. We mastered the conditions better and, for the first time in weeks, got the result that the performance justified. The pick for me was Carson. He and Allardice look a good pairing. Ridgers was seldom troubled. The defence coped well, with Devine and Deas looking comfortable whilst Duffy and Harper tried to get forward. MacGregor and Sutherland had decent games, with Toddy and Mackay both having good games. Storey was lively when he came on, with Welsh and Mckay coming on to shore things up. All in all, a good performance and deserved result. Other results show how tight this league is. Arbroath and Queen of the South continue to climb, but if we put a run together the play offs are within reach. Three points against Alloa on Tuesday, please!

Totally agree. Just adding fuel to the growing view that we are only useful when handing over our cash. They seem to be ignoring the growing anger from supporters re the streaming issues. It needs addressed and quickly before more damage is done.

BIGGEST 'gate' of the season deserves a Bonus don't you think? DOUBLE POINTS in ALL sections for this game. Game 19 HT: FT: 1st Scorer ICT: 1st Scorer Hearts:

Life always feels better when the team wins! Always felt Carson could be crucial for us, so hopefully he stays fit Can we build some momentum? Hopefully some of the injured will be back before the end of the season

Dundee away at 1900 on 2 March. Morton home at 1900 on 9 March. No date yet for Raith away.

Yes, Kilravock Castle.

Alloa on Tuesday, no?

Got a wee bit concerned when Ayr came back into the game after we went two up. But in the end it didn't matter. Disgusting that they have to travel that distance home without a shower, and I just don't see the reason for it.

Well, that was better. Just need a nice little run of wins now Well done lads

That was much better. With games now about to come thick and fast, the result and the performance can give us confidence and momentum to start hauling ourselves up the table. With Hearts up first, building on that momentum straight away will not be easy but they dropped points today and, not for the first time this season, showed that they are far from infallible. Let's take the game to Hearts and, roared on by a crowd in excess of 10,000, start timing that table. Given that that crowd will be virtual, we can happily ignore the fact that the great majority of them will be Jambos !

Davie Carson first name on the teamsheet next week. What a shift.

The difference is we’ve taken a couple of chances today whereas we couldn’t on Wednesday.

David Carson wearing a hair band

That score at Dundee is interesting.... That was a decent 45. Ayr came out flying but once we got the feel of the wind and pitch, we grew into the game and had two good chances (Sutherland and Todorov) before Mackay scored. We probably deserve to be ahead, but need to master the wind again in the second half when it should favour us. We need to play the full game this week, but the players seem “up for it” so far. Carson is making a difference in midfield, whilst Toddy has noised up the defence but his booking means he needs to be careful. Mackay took his goal well and has been lively. So far so good.

I'm in but no sound so far. Here we go again. More in hope than expectation. Glad to see Carson back, Keatings, Storey and Welsh were poor in midweek. But then who wasn't?

Good to see MacGregor and Carson starting. Presumably Toddy up front and Sutherland wide right with Mackay wide left? We may lack a bit of pace today.

Joonya wants Todorov since Keatings isn't starting

We are playing a game when we are meant to ! HT 0-1 FT 1-2 Sutherland Moffat

The rarity of Saturday fixtures is something we have in common with the UK’s top sides.

I’ve reflected on this, and as Scotty has highlighted and the other programmes on the website show, Hearts have used this company for a number of match programmes during lockdown. Given this match has captured the imagination and support of Hearts fans, it makes sense to have a programme and if we benefit financially from it, so much the better. I’ve just bought one as a result. Note that the actual cost is £4.80 once shipping is added, rather than £3. I agree that communication from the club needs to improve significantly. We do not even know if we have cracked the 10,000 barrier for virtual ticket sales. However, we all knew that this season would be a financial battle, given we have been struggling financially for a couple of years even before the pandemic, and there have been signs the club is making an effort in some respects, with the virtual sponsorship and securing some new advertisers. My ask is for regular updates from the Chairman and Chief Executive so fans are kept as informed as possible about developments and plans at the club. I am sure there is a lot going on behind the scenes but sadly we don’t know about much of it. When the time comes, I will be renewing my season ticket and I’ve bought the PPV for this afternoon’s game as I love this club and yearn for more success supporting it in the future.