Scott Brown’s Ayr close gap on top two with victory over Dunfermline

Ayr closed the gap on the top two in the William Hill Championship table as Jay Henderson’s goal midway through the second half earned them a 1-0 win at home to Dunfermline.

The only match to survive a flurry of weather-related call-offs in the second tier was hit with controversy when the visiting club released a statement during the first half claiming Ayr had given them insufficient time to prepare for the game following a torrid journey.

Kick-off at Somerset Park was pushed back by 45 minutes with Dunfermline having endured a five-hour south journey in difficult weather conditions, with the club saying they were “extremely disappointed” with the limited extra time allowed.

And their day got worse after 67 minutes when Henderson collected Ben Dempsey’s pass and rifled the ball left-footed into the top corner for Scott Brown’s side to leave Dunfermline second from bottom of the table.