Aberdeen booked their place in the next round of the SFA Youth Cup with an extra time win over a talented Ayr United side. The visitors looked to have taken control of the game in the second half of normal time, but the Dons were in complete control in extra time and after creating several chances Tarditi finally secured the win when he turned a Lombardi cross into the net.
Aberdeen made a good start to the tie and carved out three good chances in the opening 15 minutes. John Stewart was first up in the 8th minute when he collected the ball inside the Ayr half, strode forward and hit a fierce shot inches wide from 25 yards out. Tarditi then had a couple of chances from set plays. The first in the 11th minute was a well-worked free kick on the right, which the keeper did well to hold and four minutes later he went direct for goal, but Johnson easily gathered this attempt. Ayr's best attempt was a Conway snapshot in the 22nd minute, which Hutton held well.
The Dons went close again in the 32nd minute when Johnson was smartly off his line to deny McAllister before recovering to deny Stewart with a low drive. Tarditi and Stewart both had long-range efforts that were well off target and just before the interval Ayr United went close with half volley, which went inches wide. Then right on the break McAllister should have done better when he went one-on-one with the keeper. Unfortunately he casually tried to lift the ball over the keeper and Conway stuck out a leg to deny the young Don.
The visitors made the stronger start in the second period and had two chances in the opening five minutes. Ferguson broke clear in the 48th minute and Hutton turned his shot round the post. Caddis should have fired Ayr ahead two minutes later after taking advantage of some slack defending. Fortunately for the Dons he steered the ball wide as Hutton closed him down. Then on the hour mark Tarditi released Foster, but the Ayr defence closed him down quickly and the chance went begging.
The visitors had taken control of the match now and went close on several occasions as Aberdeen were limited to the occasional foray up field. The Dons should have booked their passage into the next round three minutes into injury time. Foster was released through the middle and went one-on-one with the keeper. The striker delayed for too long allowing Fulton to get back to dispossess Foster and take the tie into extra time.
Aberdeen created all the chances in the opening period of extra time and should have taken the lead. A Bagshaw effort from distance went well over in the 98th minute and four minutes later Tarditi hit a fierce shot, which the keeper did well to block then gathered at the second attempt. It was Lombardi however who should have opened the scoring in the 103rd minute when he found himself on the end of a probing cross and somehow managed to scoop the ball over the bar from six yards. A minute later McInnes crashed an effort off the crossbar and Stewart should have netted the rebound, but somehow hit the keeper instead.
Aberdeen finally made the breakthrough in the 110th minute when Lombardi broke on the left, beat a defender and fired in a low cross which found Tarditi in the middle. The tall striker made no mistake from six yards and fired the ball past the despairing Johnson. Bagshaw almost wrapped it up two minutes later with a fierce shot that Johnson did well to tip over the bar.
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