SCOTT Brown ordered his Ayr side to sharpen up after they lost crucial ground in the Championship title race.
United let a half time lead slip at Cappielow as Morton came from behind to deal a huge blow to the Honest Men’s assault on automatic promotion.
Curtis Main had given Ayr a dream start but they dropped off the pace after the interval as goals from Cammy Blues and Jordan Davies left them floored.
Brown said: “That’s the second game in a row where we’ve come out sloppy after half time and it needs to stop.
“We go in 1-0 up and it’s almost like we came out expecting things to be a bit easy. I’m not sure where the lads are going with that.
“Yet again we lose a goal from a set piece and we need people to be showing a bit of authority there and take responsibility.
“We could have played all day in that second half and not scored and the disappointing thing is Morton had no strikers on the park yet they managed to score two goals.
“Yes it was our third game in a week but that’s no excuse because the lads are fit enough to deal with that.
“We just didn’t anticipate or challenge for the second balls against a team that is well organised and who you know is going to scrap for everything.
“Getting in at 1-0 up it was then a case of can we manage the game and see it out from there. So it’s extremely disappointing not to do that.”
Brown had reintroduced Hampden goal hero Main from the start and he had a quick impact, bagging his fourth goal in a week, as he slotted home a fine finish in the eighth minute.
Ayr were well on top early doors and it was almost 2-0 when a brilliant Jay Henderson cross was headed just over the bar by George Oakley.
Josh Clarke was called into action at the other end to deny Blues before Arron Lyle flashed a shot just past the upright as Morton threatened to draw level.
But Ayr should have extended their lead before half time when Lenny Agbaire had a shot cleared off the line by Mogan Boyes and then, from the recycled ball, Connor McLennan’s header was brilliantly tipped over by Ryan Mullen.
That gave Morton hope and they came out a changed side after the break, with Ali Crawford testing Clarke from an angled free kick.
Ayr didn’t heed the warning, though, and it was all square when Cammy Ballantyne crossed for Blues to flick home a deft finish from six yards.
United passed up a great chance to go back in front when another superb delivery from Henderson was met by the head of Oakley and he glanced the effort inches wide of target.
And Ayr were punished in the the cruelest fashion when Davies bundled home a Crawford corner with the United defence posted missing.
The game threatened to boil over late on and ‘Ton were reduced to ten men when Dylan Corr saw straight red for a wild lunge on Ayr sub Jake Hastie that saw both benches spill on to the pitch.
But despite a late push, Ayr couldn’t make the most of their numerical advantage as they fell six points behind league leaders Falkirk on a big day at the top of the table.
