Elgin City's Scottish Cup quarter-final hopes snatched away in 90th minute as Championship Ayr United progress with extra-time win at Somerset Park
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ELGIN City were just a matter of minutes away from a historic Scottish Cup victory against Ayr United at Somerset Park before the cruellest of late equalisers.
Having led for the best part an hour after Kane Hester's opener, City conceded to Fraser Bryden's 90th minute strike before going onto lose 4-1 after extra-time.
After a quiet opening 15 minutes, City went close to taking the lead when Jake Dolzanski's header from a Russell Dingwall corner was cleared off the line by Ben Dempsey.
Elgin were on top early on and went inches away again just five minutes later. This time Dingwall's shot was parried by Aidan McAdams before Tom Findlay fired the rebound an inch wide from 12 yards.
Ayr's first shot in anger came just after the half hour mark when Dempsey's low drive was well saved by the foot of Tom McHale.
With five minutes until half-time, City made a thoroughly-deserved breakthrough when Kane Hester controlled a ball through the middle and smashed home from the edge of the box.
Anyone expecting Ayr to come out firing after half-time would have been surprised by the start to the second period - with Elgin spurning several chances to double their advantage.
Kane Hester fired into the sidenetting on the hour mark after McAdams had made a smart save from a corner.
Just a minute later and it was Owen Cairns who went a yard away, knocking just wide after Rory MacEwan's volley had been tipped into his path by a good McAdams save.
Ayr's went close 12 minutes from time when Adenyemi volleyed a cross over from eight yards.
Elgin thought they'd sealed the win on two occasions - first when Dingwall's 25-yard shot flew just wide and tricked the away fans into early celebration, and then when Darryl McHardy's shot was tipped behind by McAdams.
Ayr turned up the pressure late on and Paddy Reading went close to an equaliser, with his 25-yard effort on 86 minutes flying wide.
The brutal late blow arrived for Elgin in the last minute of normal time when Ayr sub Fraser Bryden turned in from two yards after a scrappy corner.
Dipo Akinyemi almost extinguished the need for extra-time when his shot came back off the inside off the post in the 91st minute.
But into an extra period it went, and Ayr's full-time status showed.
A penalty, awarded by referee John Beaton for holding on Akinyemi by Ross Draper, was tucked away by Dempsey on 93 minutes.
It was 3-1 just before half-time in extra-time when Akinyemi got himself on the scoresheet, turning a drilled cross in St the back post.
The home side's fourth and final goal arrived just a minute after the restart when Akinyemi curled in from 16 yards to seal Ayr's place in the last eight.
