10th Nov – Liverpool 4 – 1 Hull City (Reserve PL North game) – In a match which was dominated by great attacking play by the Reds, Ayala was not called on to defend for a great deal of time during the game. Two goals from man of the match David Amoo, one from Nathan Eccleston and another from Nikola Saric, completed a convincing win, but the only blot on the copybook will be conceding a late consolation, denying Ayala and his defence of another clean sheet, after Tom Cairney put away a late penalty.
29th Oct – Liverpool 1 – 1 Manchester United (4-3 on penalties) (Lancashire Senior Cup) – Named man of the match by LFC TV, Spanish defender Ayala put in an assured and commanding performance, only letting in a well taken free kick from Man U sub Zoran Tosic. Ayala had been named on the bench for Carling Cup tie against Arsenal only 24 hours before and organised a great defensive display, capping off his tremendous performance by scoring in the victorious shoot-out which sent the Reds through to the next round.
21st Oct – Liverpool 2 – 0 Sunderland (Reserve PL North game) – Another good performance by Ayala helped Liverpool to a comfortable win. Another clean sheet and a good defensive display, but the night was overshadowed by Alberto Aquilani’s first 15 minutes in English football after coming off the bench.
7th Oct – Liverpool 1 – 0 Burnley (Reserve PL North game) – The highlight of the match was Dani Pacheco’s injury time free kick winner, but it also saw Ayala with a new central defensive partner in the guise of Stephen Darby. The pair performed well at the back but in all truth Burnley struggled to mount any meaningful attacks and Burnley manager Owen Coyle, who at 43 played up front for the reserves failed to make any impact. In fact Ayala services were utilised more in the opposition half and at the start of the match, he had an attempt cleared off the line after prodding a corner kick in the direction of the goal. Liverpool dominated the game and Martin Hansen in the Liverpool goal had nothing to do for large parts and he was only called into action in the 65th minute when he had to push out a low effort on goal. It was certainly a surprise that he took until injury time to secure the three points but Pacheco did it in style with his free kick.
29th Sept – Liverpool 2 – 0 Manchester City (Reserve PL North game) – Ayala was partnered by Daniel Agger in defence as the Danish defender returned to fitness. Another solid display at the back and second consecutive clean sheet helped the Reds to a 2-0 win at the City of Manchester Stadium with goals from David Ngog and Steven Irwin.
17th Sept – Liverpool 1 – 0 Manchester United (Reserve PL North game) – Ayala and his defensive partner Mavinga put on a stellar display as they held out against Manchester United after they played the majority of the match with ten men. Damien Plessis was sent off for a dangerous tackle on 34 minutes and Liverpool keeper David Martin had to be at his spectacular best to keep out United. David Ngog fourth minute header was enough to seal a second successive win.
2nd Sept – Liverpool 3 – 1 Bolton Wanderers (Reserve PL North game) – The Spanish defender performed well alongside debutant Chris Mavinga in the centre of defence. A goal mouth scramble led to Bolton’s goal on the hour mark as three attempts were denied before Adam Blakeman scored from six yards but Liverpool secured the win late on and Ayala was replaced on 85 minutes by Emmanuel Mendy.
27th Aug – Liverpool 2 – 3 Blackburn Rovers (Reserve PL North game) – Ayala started the first competitive reserve match of the season alongside new Liverpool signing Sotirios Kyrgiakos in the middle of the defence. The Spanish defender however contributed to the defeat by inadvertently scoring an own goal to make the score 2-2 15 minutes from time. Young scholar Liam Jacob was selected in the team after John McMahon was hampered with injuries in the position but the young keeper palmed an Andrew Howarth cross onto Ayala, who could do nothing as the ball bobbled into the net. A late penalty for Blackburn by Josh Morris made John McMahon’s first competitive match as boss an unhappy one.
19th Aug – Liverpool 4 – 0 Stoke (Premier League) – Made his first start for the Reds first team at Anfield. He looked nervous to begin with and was hesitant to pass other than square to his team mates but he would have learned a lot playing alongside Jamie Carragher in the heart of the Liverpool defence. He also managed to keep clean sheet which was no doubt a great confidence booster.
16th Aug – Liverpool 1 – 2 Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League) – Made competitive debut for Liverpool after replacing the injured Martin Skrtel as a substitute in the 74th minute.
