AMBITIOUS Ayr United boss Ian McCall is aiming high in the Championship next season, following the Honest Men's glorious title success.

McCall has high hopes his team can mix it with the best of teams in the middle tier.

He said: "The fact that we won the league in the way we did made it all the more special. We look forward to next season - if I get my way the target will be to finish in the playoffs."

While he is hoping to the squad but waiting to find out what the budget will be, McCall is keen to keep some of the heavy hitters in the squad.

He said: "The main thing is to keep the players we have got who have done so well. But there will be interest in Craig Moore, Lawrence Shankland, Michael Rose and Robbie Crawford. We have to try and keep them."

The gaffer is also hoping to move training to the town full-time.

He said: "We can't say we are a complete community club unless we are based here all the time. At the moment we train in Ayr twice a week and twice in Glasgow, we want to re-locate to to here."

Meanwhile club captain Ross Docherty, who hopes to pen a deal soon for next season, is raring to go after missing the last three months of the campaign with a hip injury.

He said: "It was frustrating being out injured as long as I was but I have had an operation and everything is okay now. Hopefully I will re-sign soon for next season. We went away to Magaluf last week with the assistant boss Neil Scally and it was good for bonding."

Looking ahead he said: "It will be quite a challenge to test ourselves in the next league. The aim is first and foremost to stay in the Championship but we must aim as high as we can.

"We should have more chance when we are full-time to compete better in the Championship, we really want to be more competitive but the teams we are up against will be strong."

United last week released Paddy Boyle, Craig Reid, Lyle Avci and David Waite.

McCall said: "We wish all these boys all the very best for the future. Especially to Paddy and Craig who were integral in our fantastic season.

Boyle has spent the last three years at Somerset Park and has won promotion from League One in two of those three seasons. He also captained the club this season until injury cut his season short.

Reid joined the club at the beginning of this season and made over twenty appearances in our title winning season.