Jim Duffy admits Ayr United's late penalty defeat against Kilmarnock was "painful" to take – after his side had ridden a second half storm.
The Honest Men looked to have ground out a point against the Championship title favourites, only for a dramatic twist at the death.
Markus Fjortoft's rash challenge on Liam Polworth saw Ayr concede a spot kick with just seconds to go – giving Oli Shaw the chance to become an instant hero for Killie.
But Duffy insists Ayr should never have let their bitter rivals get a sniff.
He said: "It's a really painful one to lose a penalty like that with a couple of minutes to go.
"The most disappointing thing is the goal came from our own corner.
"A bit of rashness to concede the penalty is what has decided the match.
"It's a derby and football is about winning, so it sticks in the throat.
"In a tight match you're only going to get one or two chances and Kilmarnock took theirs when it came.
"We should have dealt with their goal a lot better than we did and that is the frustrating thing."
Ayr had withstood large periods of second half pressure with Killie enjoying plenty of the ball, but the visitors had struggled to create many golden chances on a tense night at Somerset.
Polworth went close with a raking drive late on while Calum Waters drew a smart stop from Aidan McAdams as Killie's pressure mounted shortly before the spot kick.
Ayr's best moments came in the first half when Paddy Reading saw a header tipped over by Zach Hemming.
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