Ayr Utd. 1 : 2 Cowdenbeath - Stewart at the double

Greg Stewart scored twice as Cowdenbeath took control of their Scottish Championship play-off semi-final with a 2-1 first-leg win at Ayr.

The striker took his tally for the season to 14 for the Blue Brazil, who are trying to avoid relegation, but Gordon Pope threw promotion-chasing United a lifeline when he pulled one back in the second half.

Stewart struck the opener after 16 minutes when he tucked the ball home at the far post and doubled the lead eight minutes from half-time, collecting Lewis Milne's pass before finding the top corner with a fierce drive.

Pope could have pulled one back before the break only for his shot to hit the side-netting, but he did get on the scoresheet with 11 minutes left when he prodded home a corner to give Ayr some hope ahead of Saturday's return leg.