DISAPPOINTED Ayr United skipper Nicky Devlin conceded it would be "difficult" for the Honest Men to win the league after they went down 3-2 to leaders Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday.

The defeat at East End Park leaves the Honest Men in third spot, 12 points behind the Fifers with a game in hand.

Midfielder Brian Gilmour was sent off for a handball late in the first half with the Honest Men 2-0 ahead and this left them facing a real uphill struggle.

However defender Devlin is staying positive and says securing promotion is the target for his side as they host Forfar in a game being screened live on BBC Alba on Saturday (ko 5.15pm)

Devlin was encouraged with the display but feels there is room for improvement and said: "If we had been given a penalty for a foul on Craig Moore (which resulted in a booking for diving) we could have ended up leading 3-0. But it wasn't to be. Brian Gilmour says his handball for the Dunfermline penalty wasn't deliberate but we have to accept the referee's decision.

"We did really well in the first half and our game plan worked. We only restricted them to a few chances in the second half but I feel we still could have played better. We had some chances but did not take them."

However Devlin has high hopes for the side and is now looking to the future.

He said: "You never know what could happen in the league although it will be difficult for us to win it. We have a game in hand still have Dunfermline to play. But it's in Dunfermline's hands. Our aim must be to cement second place and aim to finish the season strongly and get promotion through the playoffs. When you think we had to wait until the final game of of the season to stay up we have improved so much. We look forward to a game under the lights on Saturday and must look to win.

Manager Ian McCall was disappointed with the result and said: "Their equaliser and also the third goal came about through deflections which is unfortunate. I can't disagree with the sending off, it was foolish what Brian did although Craig Moore didn't dive and shouldn't have been booked. We can only look to the next game and aim to beat Forfar."

Gilmour misses out through suspension and Jamie Adams is set to miss out with a knee injury.

Meanwhile Ayr have set dates for their re=arranged home games. They host Cowdenbeath on Tuesday, March 1, and welcome Stenhousemuir to Somerset Park on Tuesday, March 8. Both games kick off at 7.45pm.