AYR United boss Lee Bullen has hailed the wonder strike from Andy Murdoch that secured a point for the Honest Men at home to Hamilton Accies on Saturday.

Murdoch’s 84th-minute strike preserved the hosts’ unbeaten start to the season in the Championship after a hugely entertaining 90 minutes in the summer sunshine at Somerset.

Dipo Akinyemi had the old ground rocking early on when he opened the scoring after just three minutes, but Accies levelled through Andy Winter – and the visitors looked a good bet to go on and take all three points when Dan O’Reilly headed home Reece Mimnaugh’s corner on 73 minutes.

But Murdoch’s left foot rocket from 30 yards’ range six minutes from the end sent the home support into a frenzy – and Bullen admitted his side’s strong finish meant he was a little disappointed to have to settle for just one point.

“That type of goal is like finding hen’s teeth, to be honest,” Bullen told Black & White TV after the match.

“A left foot shot from outside the box from Andy Murdoch - I don’t think we’ll ever see the likes again.

“We’ve been encouraging the midfielders this year to have more shots, to trust themselves and to chance their arm and it was a wonderful, wonderful goal.”

Bullen also had high praise for the Ayr support for the way they encouraged the team in the first half and the closing stages – but says he wants to see the black and white army lift the players up when things aren’t going so well.

“I think it would have been a travesty if we’d gone away with nothing out of the game,” Bullen added, “but it shows how far we’ve come. We’ve been 2-1 down with 10 minutes to go and we’re disappointed with only a point. I’m hoping the fans can see this group of players is giving them everything.

“There’s going to be little periods within games where the supporters really can make a difference.

We did have a lull for about 15-20 minutes in that second half where Hamilton grew into the game, and when we as a team went down the fan base quietened down as well.

“They did it last season, they’re doing it this season, and the difference these guys can make when they’re up for it is magnificent.”

but again when we had that little 15-20 minute spell. The difference these guys make when they’re up for it is magnificent. And they were. In the first half the fans were rilliant, in the last 10 minutes the fanas were brilliant, but when we as a team went down the fan base quietened down as well.

A late stunner from Andy Murdoch in the last five minutes helped secure a point for The Honest Men and keep the home side undefeated so far this season.

Somerset Park was rocking early as Dipo Akinyemi put the home side ahead in just three minutes following in as Daire O’Connor hit the post. Ayr were looking to carry on from the comeback high against Queens Park last week and Akinyemi provided the fans with the best possible start.

United were denied a second goal shortly after as a free kick from Paddy Reading was just inches off the mark when it clipped the frame of the goal.

The visitors then pegged the home side back with 15 minutes on the clock as Andy Winter managed to curl a beautiful shot in from around 25 yards out.

Ayr’s early pressure hadn’t stopped despite being pegged back as Akinyemi was denied much to the home fans disappointment by the post, proving a formidable foe for The Honest Men.

He had the chance to make up for that miss though four minutes before the interval O’Connor was brought down in the area but Akinyemi could not find the finish from the penalty spot as Ryan Fulton in the Accies goal supplied a great save to send his side in level at the half.

After the break Ayr’s number nine had the ball in the back of the net again only to be denied by the assistant referees flag indicating that he had strayed offside.

It was Hamilton though who took the lead in the 71st minute when Reece Mimnaugh swung in a corner and Dan O’Reilly rose up to head the ball home.

Ayr had another opportunity through a Sam Ashford diving header which was tipped around the corner by Fulton in the Academical goal as the home side pushed for an equalising goal.

That moment came in the 85th minute when Andy Murdoch rocketed home a shot from 30 yards to send Somerset Park into a frenzy with the equaliser.

The draw sees Lee Bullen’s men remain undefeated in league competition so far this season and will hope to continue that on the road at Cove Rangers next weekend.

“It was all right. Not bad. It was just good to get the goal and get a point in the end.

“It was very warm and getting sticky. It was difficult. You’ve just got to manage the game as it goes - it was just about picking the right moments and using your energy well. I think there was a 15-20 min spell where they just got more control of the game and I thought we deserved to lose the goal.

“It was similar to last week - once you get the goal you feel you can do anything. But it’s not somewhere we want to come from each week. We want to get the lead, keep it and then add to it - we don’t want to keep going a goal behind and then chasing the game.

LB

“If Carlsberg did a Championship 90 minutes then that’s it. Again the amount of opportunities created and chances. We’ve said we want to play front foot attacking football and we’re doing that. We really are doing that. The amount of opportunities we’re creating, especially in that first half. We did have a lull for about 15-20 minutes in that second half where Hamilton grew into the game. We tried to change things tactically - did it work? Question mark on myself and the staff for that, but we finished like a train again at the end. I think it would have been a travesty if we’d gone away with nothing out of the game but it shows how far we’ve come. We’ve been 2-1 down with 10 minutes to go and we’re disappointed with only a point. I’m hjoping the fans can see this group of players is giving them everything. It’s up to the players to get the fans off their seat and singing.

We’re not going to go through every game 90 mins being on the front foot. There’s going to be little periods within games where the supporters really can make a difference. They did it last season, they’re doing it this season, but again when we had that little 15-20 minute spell. The difference these guys make when they’re up for it is magnificent. And they were. In the first half the fans were rilliant, in the last 10 minutes the fanas were brilliant, but when we as a team went down the fan base quietened down as well.

Goal?

That type of goal from AM is like finding hen’s teeth to be honest with you. A left foor shot from outside the box from Andy Murdoch - I don’t think we’ll ever see the likes again. We’ve been encouraging the midfielders this year to have more shots, to trust themselves. Ben Dempsey’s had 5, 6, 7, 8 strikes from outside the box - we’re encouraging players to chance their arm and it was a wonderful, wonderful goal.