Ayr United manager Gary Naysmith believes his side deserved to leave Glasgow with something to show for their performance after a narrow defeat to Partick Thistle.
The Honest Men were beaten 1-0 at the WrightKerr Stadium on Saturday, with Seb Drozd’s goal after 38 minutes giving the home side all three points in what was described as a hotly contested match.
The result means Ayr remain without a win since the opening day of the season. Naysmith said the outcome was disappointing, but felt the second-half display represented an improvement on the previous week.
Naysmith points to second-half response
Speaking to Ayr United TV, the manager said Ayr began positively during the opening 10 minutes before Partick took control and pushed his team back. He said the goal came from a mistake, leaving Ayr a goal behind at half-time.
Naysmith said the players were asked to show more belief during the interval. In his view, Ayr produced a much stronger second-half performance and created enough opportunities to take at least a point from the game.
“We definitely deserved to take something from the game, especially based on the second half performance.”
However, the Ayr boss acknowledged that missed chances ultimately cost his team. He described the result as worse than the previous week, while maintaining that the performance itself was better.
For supporters following Ayr United in Craigie and across Ayr, the immediate focus now turns to the next league fixture. Ayr are due to face Inverness at the weekend, with Naysmith highlighting the need to find a victory after two or three league matches without one.
New signings make Ayr debuts
Two players who joined Ayr on transfer deadline day made their first appearances for the club. Josh Landers came on for the final 30 minutes, while Olly Whyte was introduced in an unfamiliar role despite normally playing as a centre midfielder.
Naysmith praised Whyte’s contribution after only one training session with the team and said the club had confidence in him. He also felt Landers showed he could become a good addition to the squad.
“I'm sure when they train with us and get used to the rest of the group, there'll be an improvement there.”
The manager said the new arrivals should benefit from more time training alongside their teammates. He also urged the squad to remember that they are a good team and to focus on securing a win in the next match.
