# 2019–20 Ayr United F.C. season

The 2019–20 season was Ayr United's 2nd season in the Scottish Championship after being promoted from league one in the 2017–18 season. Ayr also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup. On 13 March 2020 all SPFL leagues were indefinitely suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

## Summary
### Season

Ayr began the season on 3 August 2019 and was scheduled to end on 2 May 2020. On 8 April 2020, the SPFL proposed to end the 2019–20 season by utilising a points per game ratio to determine the final standings. The plan was approved on 15 April 2020, declaring that the season was over, with Dundee United being named as title winners and relegating Partick Thistle to League One.

## Results and fixtures

Win  Draw  Loss  Postponed

### Scottish Cup
## Squad statistics
### Appearances

    As of 10 March 2020
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Championship | Championship | League Cup | League Cup | Challenge Cup | Challenge Cup | Scottish Cup | Scottish Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | SCO | Ross Doohan | 33 | 0 | 27+0 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | SCO | Aaron Muirhead | 29 | 2 | 21+2 | 1 | 3+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | SCO | Daniel Harvie | 33 | 1 | 27+0 | 1 | 4+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | SCO | Mark Kerr | 22 | 0 | 12+4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Sam Roscoe | 26 | 2 | 18+2 | 1 | 3+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 1 | 0+2 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | SCO | Andy Geggan | 20 | 1 | 14+3 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | SCO | Michael Moffat | 34 | 6 | 21+6 | 3 | 4+0 | 3 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Connor Malley | 5 | 1 | 4+1 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | SCO | Craig Moore | 11 | 4 | 10+1 | 4 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | SCO | Alan Forrest | 32 | 10 | 25+0 | 10 | 1+3 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | SCO | Luke McCowan | 31 | 8 | 19+5 | 5 | 4+0 | 3 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | SCO | Scott Tiffoney | 7 | 0 | 1+5 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | SCO | Steven Bell | 22 | 1 | 16+0 | 0 | 3+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 |
| 16 | FW | IRL | Aaron Drinan | 9 | 2 | 7+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 1 |
| 18 | MF | SCO | Andy Murdoch | 8 | 0 | 4+0 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | GK | NZL | Ellis Hare-Reid | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | SCO | Finn Ecrepont | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | SCO | Mark McKenzie | 11 | 1 | 0+10 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | SCO | Ross Docherty | 26 | 2 | 21+1 | 2 | 2+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 24 | DF | SCO | Leon Murphy | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 27 | FW | SCO | Paul Smith | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 28 | MF | SCO | Grant Gillespie | 5 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | SCO | Stephen Kelly | 33 | 6 | 27+0 | 5 | 4+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | SCO | Jordan Houston | 25 | 5 | 18+5 | 5 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+0 | 0 |
| Players who left the club during the 2019–20 season ||||||||||
| 8 | FW | SCO | Kris Doolan | 17 | 3 | 1+10 | 1 | 3+1 | 2 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | SCO | Craig McGuffie | 15 | 3 | 0+12 | 2 | 1+2 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | SCO | David Ferguson | 3 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | SCO | Jamie Adams | 4 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | SCO | Frank Ross | 2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+2 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |

## Team statistics
### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG |
| 2 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 27 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 39 | 32 | +7 | 45 | 1.67 |
| 3 | Dundee | 27 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 41 | 1.52 |
| 4 | Ayr United | 27 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 38 | 35 | +3 | 40 | 1.48 |
| 5 | Arbroath | 26 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 36 | 1.38 |
| 6 | Dunfermline Athletic | 28 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 41 | 36 | +5 | 37 | 1.32 |
* ↑ All play-off matches were cancelled, as clubs voted to curtail the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.

### League Cup table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | LIV | AYR | FAL | STR | BER |
| 1 | Livingston | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 11 | Qualification for the Second Round | — | 2–1 | — | — | 5–0 |
| 2 | Ayr United | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 5 | +7 | 7 | | — | — | 2–1 | 2–2p | — |
| 3 | Falkirk | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 7 | | 1–1p | — | — | 1–0 | — |
| 4 | Stranraer | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 5 | | 1–2 | — | — | — | 6–0 |
| 5 | Berwick Rangers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 21 | −21 | 0 | | — | 0–7 | 0–3 | — | — |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| 13 June 2019 | DF | Sam Roscoe | Aberdeen | Free transfer |
| 24 June 2019 | FW | Kris Doolan | Partick Thistle | Free transfer |
| 23 January 2020 | DF | Jordan Houston | Rangers | Free transfer |
| 24 January 2020 | MF | Grant Gillespie | Derry City | Free transfer |

### Transfers out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| 1 July 2019 | DF | Chris Higgins | East Fife | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2019 | MF | Robbie Crawford | Livingston | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2019 | DF | Liam Smith | Dundee United | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2019 | DF | Michael Rose | Coventry City | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2019 | FW | James Hilton | Stranraer | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2019 | MF | Stuart Faulds | Largs Thistle | Free transfer |
| 1 July 2019 | MF | Declan McDaid | Dundee | Free transfer |
| 3 July 2019 | FW | Lawrence Shankland | Dundee United | Free transfer |
| 31 August 2019 | DF | David Ferguson | Peterhead | Free transfer |
| 11 January 2020 | MF | Jamie Adams | Retired | |
| 30 January 2020 | MF | Craig McGuffie | Greenock Morton | Free transfer |
| 6 February 2020 | FW | Kris Doolan | Greenock Morton | Free transfer |

### Loans in

| Date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| 8 July 2019 | MF | Frank Ross | Aberdeen | 1 January 2020 |
| 10 July 2019 | MF | Stephen Kelly | Rangers | 31 May 2020 |
| 12 July 2019 | GK | Ross Doohan | Celtic | 31 May 2020 |
| 30 August 2019 | DF | Jordan Houston | Rangers | 31 May 2020 |
| 17 January 2020 | FW | Aaron Drinan | Ipswich Town | 31 May 2020 |
| 30 January 2020 | FW | Scott Tiffoney | Livingston | 31 May 2020 |
| 31 January 2020 | MF | Connor Malley | Middlesbrough | 31 May 2020 |

### Loans out

| Start date | Position | Name | To | End date |
| 1 July 2019 | MF | Leon Murphy | Stranraer | 31 May 2020 |
| 4 August 2019 | DF | Michael Hewitt | Kilwinning Rangers | 31 May 2020 |
| 1 September 2019 | DF | Nathan Baird | Cumnock Juniors | 31 May 2020 |