Queen’s Park beat title rivals Ayr at Ochilview

Two second-half goals extended Queen’s Park’s lead over Ayr at the top of the Scottish Championship and salved the pain of their Scottish Cup elimination for fielding an ineligible player.

Dom Thomas slotted home a penalty after a barge by Ayr’s Nick McAllister.

Calum Ferrie saved a fine Dipo Akinyemi header to deny an equaliser before McAllister’s own-goal settled the game.

Owen Coyle’s team were worthy winners but the visitors showed why they too are title contenders.

Akinyemi proved a threat to the league leaders throughout the match, but Queen’s Park defender Lee Kilday matched him well, and it took a Tommy Robson goal-line clearance midway through the second half to deny Jayden Mitchell-Lawson whose low shot through a mass of legs looked like it might make it 1-1.

Queen’s Park ought to have been a goal or two up by the break, though.

Connor Shields, making his debut after a loan move from Motherwell, terrorised Ayr down the right wing and his low cross for Savoury was as appetising as they come. His team-mate made a poor connection and the ball flew off his heel and wide of Charlie Albinson’s net.

Later, the Ayr goalkeeper dived low to parry a Jack Thomson shot from a tight angle and Lee Bullen’s men blocked the attempted shots from the rebound to clear.

Michael Hewitt knocked a shot from the D a foot over Ferrie’s crossbar in the first action of the second half, and at the other end Albinson made an instinctive save at his near post to keep out a Savoury shot after a good run by Shields.

Thomas tucked home his left-footed penalty just inside the Ayr post, the preceding blatant push in the back by McAllister giving referee Steven McLean an easy decision to make.

And the contest was settled when McAllister, perhaps caught in two minds, turned the ball into his own net from three yards with his right foot when on another day he would have angled his body to clear it with his left.

Dundee, in third, have two games in hand. Two wins would put them a point above Queen’s Park at the summit.

Queen’s Park captain Tommy Robson: “It’s a great result. We’ve had a tough week. The result against Dundee last week was poor for us so it was great to bounce back.

“Everyone chips in together as a team. Both centre-halves were outstanding. We’ve seen how much of a threat Akinyemi’s been all season, so to manage him how they did was outstanding.”

Ayr United manager Lee Bullen: “It’s frustrating the way we lose goals. It’s mistakes. I thought we showed a little bit more character in the second half, even though we lost the two goals.

“The teams that are better in both boxes tend to go on and win games in this league, and that was Queen’s Park tonight. They were ruthless in our box, and we weren’t ruthless enough in their box. We didn’t seem to test their keeper enough. We’ll come back stronger.”