RELIEVED Ayr United boss Ian McCall saluted his players and fans when Ayr United assured survival on the last day of the season with an against-the-odds win away to high-flying Forfar Athletic.

But he is already targeting a push for the League One title next season and feels Ayr are capable of achieving so much more following the epic 3-1 victory at Station Park, which secured eighth place and avoided the relegation playoffs.

The manager admitted to being relieved and although did not go overboard in his celebrations and said: “The fans were magnificent and I came on to the field to clap them after the match. They have given us such strong backing and were here in numbers again today. We appreciate their support.

“Of course I was delighted with the result and the players showed great character coming back from behind. To be honest we should have been safe a few weeks ago but the results did not go our way, we should have beaten the likes of Brechin and Peterhead. That was a great way for us to finish the season with wins in our last two games and seven goals for and just one against. At least we had something to play for. It was a great team performance but Scott McKenna was outstanding and Jon Paul McGovern had a great game for us.” Ambitious McCall is not one to rest on his laurels and said: “Next year we should be aiming to win the League One title and that’s something a club like Ayr United should be challenging for. We have a good squad and will be keeping some players. Robbie Crawford and Alan Forrest are the two best young players not only in this league but in Scotland in my view.” The manager will meet the players on Thursday night to discuss the way ahead.

However he would not be drawn on numbers of players moving on or coming in but said after the match: “Scott McKenna and Jordan Preston are both here on loan and I would like to have them for here longer but will talk to their managers and see what they think. We have some good footballers here but also need some guys with a bit of a dig and we will see what happens over the next few weeks. I’m not going to speculate on who is coming in or anything like that. I will sit down and talk to the players on Thursday.” “Meanwhile people have been quick to offer congratulations to United on staying up and former skipper Scott McLaughlin tweeted@ “ Well done @AyrUnitedFC staying up today with a great win at Forfar.” First Minister and self-confessed United fan Nicola Sturgeon said: “Congratulations to the Honest Men!

Whitletts Victoria FC tweeted: “Congratulations to @AyrUnitedFC on their victory at Forfar today, thus ensuring their survival in League One.” The club added an Instagram message which said: “A huge thank you to our 350 strong support who roared us onto victory and safety! Bring on next season!

In other news United put up a spirited performance but went down 1-0 to Rangers in the Scottish FA Youth Cup semi-final at Ibrox Stadium on Sunday.