CELTIC legend Scott Brown’s first season as Ayr United boss ended in agony last night.
A late goal from veteran frontman Brian Graham, his 100th strike for Partick Thistle, gave the Firhill a shock 2-1 aggregate victory to set up a Premiership semi-final play-off against Livingston.
Broony’s side went into the contest leading 1-0 from the first leg in Maryhill earlier in the week and were favourites to seal a meeting with David Martindale’s West Lothian team.
However, Ayr unravelled at Somerset Park when Graham levelled with a first-half header and then pounced again in the 88th minute with a low drive beyond on-loan Celtic keeper Josh Clarke to kill off the promotion hopes of the multi-decorated former Hoops skipper.
OLD PALS’ ACT…Brendan Rodgers and Scott Brown share a joke before Celtic’s 1-1 draw in the frendly against Ayr United at Somerset Park in July.
A clearly emotional Brown said: “It’s a horrible way to end our season – winning on Tuesday night got us a pat on the back, but that was all.
“We got bullied and you can play all the nice football in the world, but if you don’t want to go and defend, you get nowhere.
“Our quality in the final third was nowhere near it. You’re not going to win a game of football if you’ve got 11 shots and you don’t hit the target.
“We didn’t have the players to turn up. That’s the hardest thing in football and we need to try and get leaders.”
Brown, 39, who also had a brief stint at Aberdeen and a one-year stay as manager at Fleetwood Town after leaving Celtic in the summer of 2021, continued: “It comes down to mentality.
“It just comes down to the willingness, desire to win the game and we weren’t good enough in the final third.
“That’s on me. I’ve got to have a long hard think about things now and see where I go from here.
A MAN ALONE…Celtic legend and Ayr United boss Scott Brown on the touchline.
“I’ve got to take a little bit of time to think about the game and the situation because watching that, it’s not really my team and that was the disappointing factor.
“We’ll just see where we go together.”
Brown’s former Hoops team-mate Mark Wilson, the Jags’ co-gaffer, told BBC Sport: “I’m pleased for the club, 1,800 fans came down here and it would’ve been easy for them not to come after losing the first leg.
“The game plan worked, I knew we’d get another chance and, thankfully, it fell to Brian Graham.”
