Dundee United edge past Ayr United on penalties in Scottish League Cup second round
Nicky Clark scores winning penalty to send Dundee United past Ayr United, who earn 1-1 draw through Tomi Adeloye's opener; Livingston progress on penalties after same scoreline vs St Mirren, with Alan Forrest and Conor McCarthy on target; Lee Ashcroft sees Dundee past Motherwell
Saturday 14 August 2021 20:50, UK
Dundee United needed penalties to survive a Scottish League Cup second-round scare by Championship side Ayr United, while Livingston and Dundee also won.
Nicky Clark twice found the back of the net to help seal their progress, first cancelling out Tomi Adeloye's goal 10 minutes from time with a penalty awarded for a foul by Jack Baird, who was shown a second yellow in the process.
The Championship hosts rallied with 10 men but should have been further ahead before Clark's equaliser, with Patrick Reading and Mark McKenzie both denied by Benjamin Siegrist.
After Clark's goal and Baird's dismissal, Ayr survived an extra half an hour unscathed but were denied a place in the quarter-finals for the first time in three years thanks to Siegrist saving from Reading and Jonathan Afolabi in the penalty shoot-out, before Clark fired home the winning spot-kick to seal a place in the last eight for Tam Courts' side.
Penalties were also required to separate Livingston and St Mirren, who drew 1-1 after extra-time with another late goal in the initial 90 minutes.
Livingston went ahead four minutes before the break when Alan Forrest found the back of the net with a composed finish, but substitute Conor McCarthy's strike eight minutes from time sent the game into an additional 30 minutes.
Ayo Obileye's header came close to winning it for Livingston but there would be no regret for the defender, whose side emerged victorious in the shoot-out thanks to Max Stryjek's save to tip Kyle McAllister's spot-kick on to the woodwork and seal the hosts' progress.
Motherwell manager Graham Alexander asked for patience following his side's poor 1-0 reverse at Dundee, their first defeat to their hosts in 11 attempts.
The Well hit the bar through Connor Shields' first-half effort before Jason Cummings finished off Luke McCowan's cross, but was denied by a late offside flag.
Instead Lee Ashcroft's winner, 12 minutes from time, sent the hosts through to the last eight only a week after they had been thrashed 6-0 by Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.
He said: "We need the fans to be patient. We're a club that's fighting at a great level, we come up against quality teams every week.
"The players need that backing, I need that backing. We need that support together, it's not just one way.
"I think we need to give them something as well, which I think we have done in the previous couple of games, and for half a game today - but we don't extend those periods for long enough to win the game at the moment."
