Ayr United boss Mark Kerr aiming for top four finish next season

The former midfielder is targeting another top four finish which would see the Honest Men secure promotion play-offs for a third successive year.

Kerr is desperate to get back on the training pitch with his squad as Championship teams begin to prepare for a return to action.

The 38-year-old has been planning schedules in the background so his players can get up to speed as soon as they’re given the all clear to resume training ahead of the October curtain raiser.

The COVID-19 situation has impacted industries across Scotland – with football no different.

Clubs will run with smaller squads this season and every penny will matter when it comes to recruiting the right players.

But Kerr is adamant that doesn’t mean Ayr’s standards will slip, as he sets his team a similar target to the past two seasons.

He told the Advertiser: “I think we’ll probably have around the fifth, sixth or seventh highest budget in the league again. Normally the leagues are decided based on financial resources.

“Our budget was probably better than what a lot of people thought in the last couple of years. I think the board went for it and have made us really competitive as they didn’t want to go back down.

“I certainly got good backing in January and I know Ian McCall had that previously, so the support will be there.

“This year is going to be a bit tougher in that sense. But I still imagine we’ll be around about that region after Hearts, Dundee, Inverness and Dunfermline.

“I think the play-offs have always got to be the aim now. Before it was just to stay in the league and get to 40 points.

“Last season we saw progress again and we thought we could beat the points tally from the year before in the remaining nine games. It’ll be the same case this season. Get as many points as we can in the first quarter and get off to a flying start.”

He added: “I just hope sooner rather than later we get fans back through the gates.”