Ayr United have been booted from the SPFL Trust Trophy after they admitted fielding ineligible players against Rangers B in the tournament last week.

The SPFL confirmed the news after a disciplinary hearing yesterday afternoon.

Ayr came out 3-0 winners from the match on September 14, but that result will no longer stand.

The club has reprimanded and warned as to future conduct and the result of the match has been annulled and instead recorded as a 3-0 victory for Rangers B.

The Honest Men brought on teenage players Kinlay Bilham and Alex Jeanes for their competitive first-team debuts towards the end of the match, but the pair are currently supposed to be on loan to other West of Scotland League clubs and so should not have been playing.

Bilham is on loan at Irvine Meadow and Jeanes is currently loaned to Girvan.

A statement from the SPFL reads: 

"At a disciplinary hearing today (Monday 20 September 2021) a Committee of the Board of the SPFL acting as a Tribunal considered a complaint that Ayr United FC in Playing Kinlay Bilham and Alex Jeanes in their SPFL Trust Trophy match against Rangers B on Tuesday 14 September 2021 was in breach of the Regulations in respect of the competition.

"Both players were listed as substitutes and entered the field of play at 81 minutes. Ayr United FC admitted breaching SPFL Rules and Regulations by Playing the players in the match when they were, at the time of the match, Registered at the Scottish FA to West of Scotland League clubs Irvine Meadow XI (in the case of Mr Bilham) and Girvan (in the case of Mr Jeanes).

"The Tribunal imposed the following sanctions:

(i) the Club was reprimanded and warned as to future conduct; and

(ii) the result of the match was annulled and instead recorded as a 3-0 victory for Rangers B.

"No financial penalty was imposed on Ayr United."

The club have been contacted for comment.