AYR United were in fine form as they beat Queen’s Park 5-0 at Somerset Park, including a hat trick from striker Dipo Akinyemi.

The Honest Men took the lead in just five minutes with Akinyemi heading home from a Paddy Reading cross.

The second came after 35 minutes, when Chalmers played a fantastic through ball to Akinyemi, who chopped it from his right foot to his left, sending to Queens defenders to the floor, before slotting it home to put Ayr two in front.

Goal number three came in the 52nd minute, as Akinyemi slotted home from a Brad Young cross to gain his hat trick.

Young himself made it 4-0 a few minutes later. A shot on goal from Chalmers was deflected into his path and he made no mistake with his effort, which rippled the net.

The final goal came in the 62nd minute when Josh Mullin flashed the ball across the face of goal, allowing Ben Dempsey to flick it into the net.

A great day for Ayr, but it was a much closer match than the scoreline suggested,

Manager Lee Bullen admitted Queen’s Park put up a good fight but hailed his players for the result in front of home fans.

The boss told Ayr United TV: “Five nil is a great result, but that game was a lot closer than five goals. We were ruthless in front of goal whereas maybe Queens weren’t today. There have been games recently where we created a lot of chances and I felt a game like this was coming.

“We deserved out goals, but it was probably a bit harsh on Queen’s Park given the amount they put into the match as well.

“But we defended brilliantly too. Charlie Albinson made a great save after 2-3 minutes – then we went up the park and scored.”

Hat trick hero Dipo said after the match: “It is a good day at the office. It is not every week someone scores a hat trick – unless you are Haaland. I’ll be cherishing this game in my memories, along with a couple of others.”

Ayr now sit second in the Championship, level with Partick and Inverness. Next up for the Honest Men is a trip away to Dens Park on Saturday to face Dundee.