AYR United midfielder Stuart Bannigan says he is looking to kick on after a "bizarre" start to the Scottish Championship season.
The Honest Men are currently sitting in fourth position, occupying the league's final play-off position.
Arbroath, in third place, are within striking distance though both Dunfermline Athletic and Raith Rovers are keeping the pressure up on Scott Brown's men.
The Championship's top two - Partick Thistle and St Johnstone - however, sit 12 and 17 points clear respectively.
Though, speaking to Ayr's media team, Bannigan says that United are not far off reaching those heights despite their current points total.
With 20 games played so far in their league season, the Somerset Park side have lost just four times - with only the top two having faced defeat less.
It is ten draws which have ultimately cost The Honest Men, who have dropped points from winning positions in two of their last three games, so far this campaign.
Bannigan commented: “It’s been a bizarre season – even if you turn two, three or four of them [draws] into positive results you could be right up there.
“It’s been a frustrating one, but it shows we are not far away, if we can tweak certain things we can turn them into wins.
“I don’t know if there is a reason behind it, but it seems to be the last three games we have been in front at half-time and then came out and not performed in the second half the way we wanted to.
“It’s something we’ll need to look at. Sometimes these things just happen for whatever reason, but we’ll need to try and nip it in the bud.”
An uptick in home form is something the experienced midfielder feels would make a major difference with only two of United's six Championship wins this season coming at Somerset Park.
Ayr were due to play three successive home matches - two of which were in the league - before their clash with Queen's Park was postponed on Saturday.
Bannigan added: “We’ve not been as good as we would want to be at home. Away we have been decent – we are up there with the top teams.
“You want your home form to be solid, it sort of catapults you up the league and we’ve not done that this year.
“Hopefully a few home games in a row we can get ourselves feeling good again at home.”
The 33-year-old is hoping his own return to form will help his side in the remaining matches of their campaign.
He continued: “You want to be involved, you’re kidding yourself on if you don’t want to be a major part of a team environment.
“It’s not quite happened for me for whatever reason. I’ve not performed as well as I’d probably like at the start of the season.
“Whether that’s been through injuries, you can make excuses for it, but when I’ve been on the park I’ve not done as well as I would have liked.
“The last couple of games, I’ve came in and been given the chance, and I think I’ve done okay. Hopefully I can kick on from there.”
Next up for Ayr is a home match against Stranraer in the Challenge Cup last 16 - with the tie to be played on Tuesday, January 6.
Then it is back to league action at Somerset Park against Airdrieonians on Saturday, January 10.
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