IT might only be the first day of the season but Martin Canning, the Hamilton manager, faced calls to be sacked as his team slumped to a sorry defeat at Somerset Park.

Woeful Accies managed only a Louis Longridge strike deep in stoppage time after Ayr had forged ahead with goals from Alan Forrest and Robbie Crawford.

Even this early, Accies look a team with big problems but Canning urged the dissenting supporters to get behind them.

Canning said: "I would ask them to be patient and stay behind the team. I am trying hard to bring in players.

"I know there is frustration but to maintain our Premier League status last season was the most important thing.

"It's a difficult league and a difficult job to continually punch above your weight."

Accies gave a debut to keeper Remi Matthews who only signed yesterday morning on a season-long loan from former manager Alex Neil's Norwich City.

But inside two minutes he was picking the ball out of the net after Ayr took the lead with a Forrest penalty.

Paul Cairney, one of two new signings on display in the home team, forced a corner which was flighted into the box by Brian Gilmour.

Daryll Meggatt was bundled to the ground by Darian Mackinnon who was booked for his troubles.

Up stepped Forrest to calmly wrong-foot Matthews from the spot.

Accies were visibly wounded and they hit back with a succession of corners taken by Dougie Imrie and Ali Crawford.

But home keeper Greg Fleming, who was well protected by his defence, answered all questions that were asked of him.

He easily saved a weak header from Jesus Garcia Tena and then watched as Peter Murphy headed clear from a Crawford corner.

Hamilton had the lion's share of possession but Ayr were content to sit tight and try to hit on the break.

And they almost made the tactic pay off after 31 minutes when Forrest raced clear down the right only for Matthews to block his shot at the expense of a corner.

Hamilton continued to exert pressure and Crawford and Imrie worked a free-kick well at the edge of the box but Fleming got down well to save Imrie's scuffed low shot without too much trouble.

Just on the interval, Ayr skipper Nicky Devlin made a great saving tackle to prevent the threatening Imrie from lining up a shot.

Ayr doubled their lead four minutes into the second period with a stunning strike from Crawford who cut inside and curled home a left foot shot from 20 yards.

Hamilton's woes mounted when Garcia Tena was stretchered off after twisting his knee.

Accies became more and more desperate in their attempts to get back in the tie but the Ayr defence, which was superbly marshalled by Murphy and Meggatt, stood firm.

And Ayr almost grabbed a third on the break when Forrest race clear on a Devlin pass but was crowded out.

When Longridge got back in injury time with a shot from the edge of the box it came too late to matter.

Ayr boss Ian McCall said: "You could see in the last 25 to 30 minutes that we are nowhere near ready in terms of fitness.

"The Hamilton support need to have a look at themselves. To give their manager who kept them in the league such abuse is outrageous."