Killie reach cup final

Dean Shiels grabbed an extra-time winner as Kilmarnock beat local rivals Ayr United 1-0 at Hampden on Saturday to reach the final of the Scottish Communities League Cup on March 18.

Kenny Shiels' team dominated for long spells but found Ayr keeper Kevin Cuthbert on top form but Shiels, son of the manager, pounced after 109 minutes to settle a tie watched by 25,057.

Kilmarnock will play Falkirk or Clydesdale Bank Premier League leaders Celtic, who square up in the second semi-final at Hampden on Sunday. The match is live on BBC Scotland at 3pm.

Shiels said: "It came back to me quite quickly and was just one of those instinct goals where it's coming off the goalkeeper and you have to react quicker than the defender.

"I was just happy to see it going in as their goalkeeper was exceptional throughout and he had one of those days where it was looking very difficult to beat him.

"The chance of playing in cup finals and competing for these things was a big factor in me re-signing and was one of the reasons why I signed permanently (from Doncaster).

"I thought we were very good against a team that's very compact and set up very defensively. Sometimes it's very hard to break it down but we showed good ball retention and patience."