Scottish League Cup REVIEW 14 Aug 2026: Kilmarnock Fight Back Twice To Beat Ayr 3-2 In League Cup

Kilmarnock beat Ayr United 3-2 at Rugby Park on Friday night in a Scottish League Cup second-round tie that swung twice before Nicky Clescenco settled it with a winner in the 89th minute. Owen Stirton put Ayr ahead inside five minutes, Joe Hugill levelled for Kilmarnock on 43, Ross Taylor restored Ayr's lead three minutes into the second half, and Michael Schjonning-Larsen dragged Killie level again on 79 before Clescenco struck the winner with the game heading for extra time. It finished as a 90-minute win, with no additional period needed.

The result arrived after contrasting recent form for the two sides. Kilmarnock had gone into the tie off the back of a heavy 5-1 defeat away to Celtic in the Premiership, while Gary Naysmith's Ayr had continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw at Dunfermline in the Championship. Schjonning-Larsen had scored in that Celtic defeat before being forced off with an injury that reportedly put his involvement against Ayr in doubt, which made his equaliser on 79 minutes a notable twist. Stirton, named as Ayr's leading scorer this season with three goals before kick-off, opened the scoring yet again, while Ross Taylor, a summer arrival at Somerset Park from Stenhousemuir, got the goal that put the visitors back in front early in the second half.

This was reported as the eighth competitive meeting between Kilmarnock and Ayr United, with their most recent previous encounter coming in 2022, when Kilmarnock won 3-1.