MARK STEWART, the Ayr captain, praised the display of teenager Robbie Fergusson following his side’s 18-17 British and Irish Cup victory over Plymouth Albion.
It was arguably the most impressive competitive win by any Scottish club against a professional side – particularly away from home.
Perhaps more notable was the confidence and composure shown by Fergusson, though. The 18-year-old even scored the penalty which clinched the win for his side.
“You have to hand it to young Robbie,” said Stewart. “It was just tremendous to see how he handled the situation. For someone that age to slot a kick like that in the circumstances was exceptional.
“It has been pretty up and down for us in Premier 1 so far but this could be the turning point in our season. To win like that on the road against an English Championship side is a great start to our campaign and hopefully we can build on that and try to get at least as far as we did last season.
“The lads who came into the side from other clubs did a fantastic job and along with the Ayr players who have experienced this level before, we didn’t let our heads go down when we went behind and pulled out a great second-half performance. Our defence and discipline was outstanding and we denied them any points after half-time.”
The picture had looked bleak as the visitors were 17-5 down at the interval. Albion made a strong start with Jack Nowell scoring a try which was duly converted by Mark Lee. He then added a penalty before converting Rupert Freestone’s try. However, Hayden Wisnuski, the Ayr hooker, was able to claw back five precious points.
Then came the fight back. Fergusson sparked it off with a penalty – before scoring the decisive points following a try from Johnnie Beattie. The Glasgow Warriors No.8 was omitted from his club’s squad to face Bath, but it was his younger colleague who stole the attention.