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Kilmarnock claim last-gasp Ayrshire bragging rights as Neil McCann substitution silences dreaded chant Kilmarnock twice come from behind to claim 3-2 win over rivals Ayr at Rugby Park Bottom of the Scottish Premiership after two games, Kilmarnock have seen 13 goals shared in their opening two league games of the campaign. On the wrong end of two bruising defeats, Neil McCann’s side finally come out on the right side of another ding-dong battle as they came from behind twice to beat rivals Ayr United 3-2 in the Premier Sports Cup. There’s one thing for certain, Kilmarnock are not boring. He may have steered his side impressively away from relegation upon his appointment in January, but patience is a commodity in modern-day football. Just ask the last Killie manager to win a competitive fixture against Ayr - a certain Derek McInnes. Defeats to St Johnstone and Celtic meant alarm bells had started to ring at Rugby Park. A win in one of the oldest and perhaps most underrated Scottish derbies offered an opportunity to change the season’s early trajectory. Dating back 116 years, the fixture doesn’t come around too often, but 1617 days on from their last competitive clash, the pre-match songbook was proof that absence had not made the heart grow fonder. As for the visitors, Gary Naysmith’s appointment at Somerset Park had yielded four wins from his first five games in charge, with ten goals scored in the process. While their eyes are focused firmly on promotion, a win in their neighbours' backyard presented Naysmith with an opportunity to plant a flag in the ground, while also increasing the pressure on his former Scotland teammate in the opposite dugout. A mammoth game for both; their contrasting starts to the campaign had only upped the ante in the tie. Both managers drew swords for the first time in the fixture after being paired together in the draw; the humid summer Friday night setting only adding to the drama. It was Naysmith’s side who struck the first blow when in-form teenager Owen Stirton, on loan from Dundee United, lashed home his fourth goal in eight games after four minutes to hand the second-tier side an early lead at Rugby Park. While Killie offered a retort of sorts via a missed Joe Hugill chance, a rendition of ‘cheer up, Neil McCann’ from the away support summed up the home side's frustrating performance in the first half-hour of the tie. Lacking in creativity, McCann responded by changing his team’s shape. Right-back Jamie Brandon, who’d endured a torrid opening 35 minutes, was dragged off to ironic cheers with Moldovan international winger Nicky Clescenco brought on in his place. It was a move that paid dividends almost immediately, with Hugill levelling the scores on the cusp of half-time from just inside the area. Ayr restored their lead within minutes of the restart though as Ross Taylor’s inch-perfect shot went beyond the reach of Max Styjek and sent the away end into raptures. A Robbie Deas header threatened to restore parity quickly, only for it to trickle the wrong side of Harry Stone’s post to safety. Just as the game began to slip away from the home side, a rare piece of individual brilliance saw new arrival Michael Schjonning-Larsen hand McCann a lifeline with a thunderous drive from the outside of the area, before substitute Clesceno capitalised on some calamitous defending to poke home a last minute winner and sent Killie into the quarter-finals. Comments Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.