Holt's leveller earns Naysmith's Ayr a point as Partick head to Somerset Park
Sunday 11 October 2026 · By Ben Logan
There's a bit more resilience about Ayr United at the moment. A week after winning at Livingston with ten men, Gary Naysmith's side came from behind to draw 1–1 with Dunfermline Athletic at Somerset Park on Saturday.
It was goalless at half-time. Early in the second half, Josh Cooper put Dunfermline ahead from the penalty spot. Ayr didn't let it knock them, and a few minutes later Kevin Holt equalised, finishing low into the bottom corner from the left side of the box after a pass from Olly Whyte.
For Holt, it was a big moment, and Ayr's reaction to going behind was exactly what Naysmith will have wanted to see.
The point means Ayr are now unbeaten in two league games. They sit seventh on 12 points from 10 games, with three wins, three draws and four defeats and a goal difference of minus one. That's only a point behind Livingston, Inverness and Dunfermline, so the gap to the top four is small.
Dunfermline have only lost once in the league this season, so holding them is a decent result. Combined with the win at Livingston on 3 October, it suggests Naysmith's side are starting to find some consistency after an up-and-down start.
That win at Livingston came with a complication. Ross Taylor was sent off during the game. We haven't been able to confirm whether he's served a suspension or how long it might be, so check the club's team news before Friday.
We also haven't seen any post-match comments from Naysmith after Saturday's draw. The Ayr Advertiser and the club's own channels are the best places to look for his reaction.
Next up is a big one. Partick Thistle visit Somerset Park on Friday 16 October for a 19:30 kick-off. Mark Wilson's side are third, have the best defence in the Championship with just three goals conceded in nine games, and won at Livingston on Saturday. Breaking them down will be a real challenge.
But Friday nights at Somerset Park can be special, and Ayr will feel they can get something. If they can stay in the game and take a chance when it comes, a result is possible.
After that, Ayr travel to Greenock Morton on Saturday 24 October. Morton have just picked up their first win of the season, so that's not as straightforward as it might have looked a week ago. Then Queen's Park visit Somerset Park on Saturday 31 October.
Those two games are ones Ayr will want to win. Both opponents are in the bottom two, and six points would push Ayr firmly into the top-half conversation.
For now, the mood is fairly positive. Ayr have shown they can fight back, both with ten men at Livingston and from a goal down against Dunfermline.
Friday night against Partick will show how far they've come.
Somerset Park has been home to Ayr United, the Honest Men, since 1910, on a site used for football since 1888. It sits in a tight pocket of streets off Somerset Road, a short walk from Ayr town centre. Visiting supporters get one of the more old-fashioned afternoons left in the Championship: terraces behind both goals, a roof over the away end, and a ground that still feels like a football place. Capacity is a little over 10,000, with only about 1,600 seats, so most people stand.
The pitch runs east to west, 110 yards by 72. The goals are at the ends, not in front of the side stands. West, hard against Somerset Road, is the Somerset Road End, a covered home terrace behind that goal. Leave it to the Honest Men. East, beside the railway, is the Railway End, the covered terrace used by travelling supporters on a bigger fixture. That is the stand behind the goal if your ticket is for the away terrace. Along the south side is the Archibald Leitch Main Stand of 1920, with a later wing and the Family Stand beside it. Opposite, the North Stand opened in 2024 over the old open terrace and houses the Ally MacLeod hospitality suite.
Allocation changes with the crowd, so read the ticket before you travel. On many ordinary games a small away group stands in the paddock in front of the Main Stand. For larger followings, including Morton, Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock, the club opens the Railway End behind the goal, sometimes with a slice of terrace to either side. Seated away tickets, when sold, are in the West Stand on the Main Stand side, entered by a different gate. Railway End entry is off Tryfield Place, typically turnstiles 3 and 5. West Stand seating is often turnstile 10. The gates are not interchangeable.
The Railway End is the better bet if you want noise. The roof keeps the sound in, both goals are visible, and there is a burger van and toilets in the away section. It is standing, so arrive in reasonable time if you want the front. Flags, banners and drums are usually allowed after a search. The West Stand gives a seat and a side-on view, with its own snack bar and toilets, and it is non-smoking, including vapes. Pillars in the old Main Stand can break the sightline, so a seat is not automatically better. Kiosks take cash and card.
Ayr station is about a ten-minute walk: out of the back, past the fire station and the Gaiety, up Craigie Road and across towards Somerset Road, then left behind the Main Stand for the Railway End. Newton-on-Ayr is closer if your train stops there. Drivers leave the A77 on the A719 Whitletts Road, pass the racecourse, and follow Burnett Terrace, Hawkhill Avenue and Somerset Road. Street parking is the realistic option. The Main Stand car park is for pass holders. Coaches are usually sent to the West Stand side, next to the Railway End. The address is Tryfield Place, Ayr, KA8 9NB.
There is no proper pub on the doorstep. Most visiting fans eat and drink in town, then come down for kick-off. Buy tickets online in advance, because cash gates are not always open. Stay in the area on your ticket: segregation between the Railway End and the Somerset Road End is real, and the walk back is usually uneventful.