Jay Henderson 'wonder goal' secures Ayr win over Dunfermline

Scott Brown said Jay Henderson's brilliant strike after 67 minutes against Dunfermline Athletic is "right up there" with the best goals his side have scored since he took over, as the Honest Men also put in a solid showing at the other end to claim a 1-0 victory.

Kick off was delayed as Somerset Park was hit by the wintry conditions but it was the hosts who looked brighter throughout and dispatched their second-from-bottom rivals.

Jay Henderson's second half strike sealed a 1-0 win for Ayr United against Dunfermline Athletic on November 23 (Image: Gary Bradley) Manager Brown said his only gripe was that his team could not deliver a decisive second goal to kill off the game.

He said: "I thought we did really well, defensively we were well organised at the back.

"It was a hard playing surface if I'm honest, the pitch was very, very lively, you saw how many times the lads were slipping.

READ MORE: Brown delighted with reaction as Ayr bounce back from shock cup exit

"I thought we dealt with that really well, we covered each other well, we were calm on the ball especially in the second half after we went 1-0 up, when they had a lot of direct long balls.

"We can deal with that, we've got that physicality at the back of the park.

"And we've got people like Jay who have got wonderful technique and it was a wonderful finish too.

"We've got a little bit of quality higher up the park and we're just a little bit devastated we couldn't get the second goal.

"The lads have taken on the information really well, they've had a good understanding. We gave them a bit of a challenge after the East Kilbride game where the performance levels weren't that great but the next two games have been exceptional with a different shape."

Ayr defeated Queen's Park 3-2 last weekend and have now won their last two fixtures since exiting the SPFL Trust Trophy at the hands of Lowland League side East Kilbride.

Brown praised his players' response and the efforts of Henderson since that shock loss - and also gave a special mention to the supporters who braved the weather to offer their backing.

(Image: Alex Craig) Brown said: "We've scored some wonder goals since we came in and that's definitely right up there, it's top corner 25 yards out, goalie's close side as well.

"It was a fantastic finish, not a lot of goalies [would] ever get anywhere near that.

"Fair play to the wee man because I'm not sure me or any of the other lads are shooting from there. But he's got the ability and that's what he does, he does it really, really well.

"I'm not sure if all the fans were here at 3 o'clock or not but they were unbelievable. They've come along and supported us through thick and thin and it's brilliant to see them, especially down in the corner, they were chanting throughout the whole game and behind the goal.

"It means a lot and especially in these conditions. The lads keep working hard because they're there and supporting us."

Ayr move one point behind second-placed Livingston, albeit having played a game more, and now look forward to a third meeting with Greenock Morton of the season so far in the Scottish Cup third round on November 30.

Brown added: "It puts us in a good position, five points ahead of Partick.

"Morton is going to be a huge game for us, we need to make sure we're ready because we want, hopefully, a good cup run as well.

"We played against Dougie's team recently and we drew, so we need to make sure we're on it."

Kick off at Somerset Park on Saturday is at 3pm.