Hamilton Academical 2-3 Ayr United: Dipo Akinyemi double helps visitors extend lead
- Published
Dipo Akinyemi's double takes the striker's total to 13 goals for the season
Ayr United move six points clear at the top of the Scottish Championship as two Dipo Akinyemi goals helped edge out bottom side Hamilton Academical.
The striker pounced on a loose back pass to slot Ayr into an early lead.
Steve Lawson's second-half penalty gave Accies a deserved equaliser, but Akinyemi scored powerfully on the turn.
Finn Ecrepont deflected a cross into his own net as Accies replied again, but Ben Dempsey's spot kick secured a thrilling win for the visitors.
It ends a run of four successive draws between the sides as Ayr stretch their unbeaten run to five games - and four without defeat at ZLX Stadium - and increases the gap between themselves and four chasing sides who play on Saturday.
Hamilton remain at the foot of the table on goal difference behind Arbroath, who next host Cove Rangers, and will rue a Jean-Pierre Tiehi strike that looked to have crossed the line after crashing off the underside of the crossbar when they were 1-0 down.
Hamilton Academical manager John Rankin: "You look at the game over 90 minutes, I thought we were dominant and we played some really good football and a really good style of play.
"But ultimately you leave the league's most dangerous man inside the six-yard box and able to take a touch and put it away and its hugely frustrating. Jean-Pierre Tiehi's shot is over the line, but when you are down there, these things go against you and we have to get on with it."
Ayr United manager Lee Bullen: "Massively relieved because tonight we were second best. I thought we were really off the levels we've been at and the only real bits of quality showed was our goals.
"We are a very lucky team tonight. We can talk about us being poor, but that's credit to Hamilton - they never let us get going and, for a team that's bottom of the league, they are fighting their heart out for their manager at the moment."