SCOTT BROWN singled out Ayr United Academy graduate Dylan Watret for special praise after the teenager came off the bench to play a vital role in the Honest Men’s latest Championship win on Saturday.

Watret came on as a substitute for the injured Frankie Musonda early in the second half with Ayr trailing 2-1 to Hamilton Accies.

Within minutes of Watret's introduction Marco Rus had levelled the match, before the 17-year-old showed tenacity in spades to battle his way down the right and set up George Oakley for the goal that clinched a 3-2 win.

Ayr’s third straight victory, in the day’s only Championship fixture, puts Brown’s men three points clear at the top ahead of this weekend’s clash with Raith Rovers at Somerset.

Speaking to Ayr’s media team after the match, Brown said: “I’m delighted for Dylan. We say to the lads to make sure you’re positive when you come on, and make sure you’re ready as well, because anyone could get injured at any time.

“You need to know your set plays, where you should be, how we’re playing as well. There was a little bit of a change up at half time in the way we played but Dylan comes on and he runs up the park, shows a fantastic first touch in behind and sets up George.

“It’s a great finish too. We always ask the lads to have that little bit of relaxation in the final third, pick your head up and make sure you make the right decision, and that’s what Dylan does.

Brown admitted he was delighted at the way his team responded after coming in at the interval a goal down, with Jamie Murphy’s early conversion of a Jay Henderson cutback answered by Accies through Oli Shaw’s leveller and then a Jamie Barjonas strike,

“Everyone knows the first half wasn’t really us,” he added, “but we came in at half-time and the lads were brilliant.

“They were answering the questions and telling me what was up, so they know the answers as well.

“We’re going to have ups and down throughout the whole season, and we get that. But their response was brilliant today.”

Watch post-match reaction from both Brown and Oakley online at ayrunitedfc.co.uk/ayr-united-tv.