22/1/00 Parscelona 2 KaisAyr 3

January 22nd 2000

Parscelona 2 KaisAyrslautern 3
St Leonards Park, Dunfermline

[thanks to Keith Wright for recording the details]

Although Ayr had the early pressure in this friendly match, it was Parscelona who had the first chance when, after 4 minutes, they won a corner. It came to nothing.

In the tenth minute Ayr responded with an attack down the right hand side, but the resulting shot was fired wide of the target. Two minutes later Ayr forced a corner, which was sent across the face of the goals, but there were no takers for the visitors.

Within five minutes, Parscelona were back on the attack, when Keith Mackie forced a save from the Ayr keeper. A goalmouth scramble a couple of minutes later provided Parscelona with another half chance but again there were no takers.

In the twentieth minute Ayr won another corner, but again it came to nothing. Within a minute Ayr were attacking again, but when Pars' keeper Ronz dived at his feet the Ayr attacker could only fire the ball wide. Ayr's pressure continued when in the twenty-seventh minute they won yet another corner after Ronz touched a shot wide of the goal. This gave Ayr a great chance but after the first shot was saved, the rebound was put over the bar from six yards.

Parscelona mounted a reasonable counter attack, but Grant Cotter's shot was easily held.

On the half-hour mark Ayr were gifted another chance after a poor kick-out, but the Ayr attacker's momentary loss of control allowed Ronz to save.

Grant Cotter had another shot for Parscelona five minutes later, but his low effort trundled easily into the Ayr keeper's hands. Shortly after, Pars won another corner, but Colin McKean's shot was deflected away.

Ayr went straight up the park and eventually scored, but the goal was chopped off, the Ayr attackers being oblivious to the referee's call of offside against them seconds earlier.

Parscelona had the next attempt at goal, but after Colin McKean's low drive was saved it was Ayr who were to open the scoring through a fortieth minute shot from Hawkes.

The final action of the half saw Ronz pull off a superb triple save, the Ayr attacker eventually putting the ball wide at the fourth attempt.

The second half came to life after ten minutes when Parscelona were awarded a penalty. A high cross was played into the danger area where Alan Maxwell was pushed to the ground. After a string of swearwords and handbag-throwing among a few players, Colin McKean stepped up to take the penalty. His weak effort was easily held by the Ayr keeper.

Parscelona were to get the equaliser two minutes later however. Some neat passes saw the ball exchanged between Steven Clark and Keith Rapley down the left wing, and when the latter played a through ball past the Ayr defence to Alan Maxwell the striker ran towards goal and fired a shot just inside the box. It looked to have been saved at first, but while the Ayr keeper got his hands to it, he was beaten by the sheer power of the shot (you're full of pish - Ed.)

Within a minute Parscelona had scored again. Colin McKean picked up the ball in midfield and spotted the Ayr keeper off his line. His twenty-five yard lob gave Parscelona the lead.

With sixty-five minutes on the clock, Ayr won another corner after a long range shot was turned past the post by Ronz. Five minutes later the keeper was called into action again, but held a cross under pressure from Ayr attackers.

Parscelona were determined to build on their lead and Grant Cotter found himself with another chance following a solo run and accurate pass from Keith Mackie, but his shot was wide of the goal. Grant had another chance a few minutes later, but the Ayr keeper produced a fine save from a tight angle.

With ten minutes remaining, Ayr equalised. A looping cross evaded both Ronz and the Parscelona defence and allowed Peter Noble to draw the visitors level. Ayr almost scored again five minutes later when a lob hit the crossbar and dropped down towards goal. Luckily for the Pars the ball didn't cross the line.

Parscelona should have taken the lead in the eighty-seventh minute following a scramble in front of Ayr's goal. Alan Maxwell's first effort was too weak and Ayr's Graeme Morton managed to kick it off the line. Alan's second attempt was also blocked before the ball was finally blasted over the bar by Grant Cotter.

In the last minute of the game, Ayr grabbed the winner. When Parscelona wasted a corner, the visitors were quick to break. When Grant Macleod found himself up against two men, he elected to try to tackle one of them, allowing the Hawkes to break free down the right, slip the ball under the advancing Ronz and grab a win for Ayr.

AYR : A. Jackson, G. Morton, A. Dunlop, R. McJannet, D. Reid, M. Duggan, L. Glass-Watson, K. Rowan, P. Noble, R. Hawkes, S. Noble, A. Jess

PARSCELONA : Ronz, F. Clark, S. Clark, G. Macleod, Alex Mercer, K. Mackie, C. Wilson, Alasdair Mercer, A. Maxwell, C. McKean, G. Cotter, K. Rapley, D. Galloway, J. MacDougall, J. Wilson

Scorers for Ayr:
R. Hawkes (2)
P. Noble

Scorers for Parscelona:
A. Maxwell
C. McKean