Thumper

in fairness, the way the season has gone, Falkirk winning their two remaining games, still finishing ninth, and then getting beat in the playoff final by Montrose would not really be that extraordinary.

uh, isn't the entire thing still covered in scaffolding, while they try to figure out how to barter with the mutant rats that now control the People's Republic of the Station Hotel?

It's definitely going to be banter watching McKinnon yet again renege on his contract in order to re-.join Raith at the start of next season.

On paper this is a fucking cakewalk. Fair play to Caldwell for apparently being the only man in Scottish football not to have found Ayr out yet. Two comfortable wins will hopefully provide enough leeway to permit a bone to be thrown to Alloa in the last game if they need it. Falkirk, Raith and Partick in League One next season will be absolutely box office.

Surreal being in a position where our own results are basically irrelevant but we have a huge part to play in who's going down. It's absolutely critical to restore some confidence in these games, though, because I don't think people realise quite how awful Ayr's form is against ICT. One win in the last decade, eight years ago, in the cup. One point this season. If confidence doesn't get restored I can see this being a mirror of the time Roberts limped into the playoffs in '14 to get fucking mauled against Cowdenbeath.

He threw a game for Airdrie when in charge of us, so it's definitely possible. It really is quite odd that the one team he's not willing to extend that sentiment to is Partick.

As tired as Ayr are, they've cleaned the Jags' clocks three times out of three this season, and are currently third in the league instead of ninth. It'll be Falkirk and Partick going down. A dismal draw with an equally abject QOS will see them both finish where they are, though if that's in threat I would expect McCall to do the honourable thing and throw the last game to Alloa.

There's no such thing as consolidation in this league. You rebuild every season around the three players who are on more than one-year contracts and you hope the manager doesn't f**k it. Being back in the top flight after four decades in the wilderness, with three guaranteed derbies, is worth absolutely everything to the club. McCall has to replace Shankland from somewhere next season. Even as absolute whipping boys, any top-flight team is a much better prospect than one whose seasonal highlight is four "derbies" against a team based sixty miles away.

All of this is fine in principle, but the problem is that several key players are currently underperforming to the point where they're due for getting dropped anyway. Getting their arses kicked on TV next Friday is not going to help build momentum.

Enough from what? If Alloa beat you next week then you're down. McCall has no problem whatsoever throwing bones to his hometown club, which is why they aren't down already. On the other hand, he's had no problem putting you to the sword in three out of three this season.

I imagine the only person who isn't ecstatic about the run-in featuring a double-header against Thistle is McCall himself. That should suffice to see Ayr finish third. Resting players who are imminently departing normally wouldn't make much sense, but the playoffs are the most important games the club's had in four decades. If anything can be done to restore Shankland's confidence then it should be tried. Next Friday is a writeoff anyway.

Mathematically safe. Three points from fifteen guarantees a playoff spot. Considering that the teams above are a) an established city-based top-league team and b) a country plaything on a ludicrous budget, this has been an astonishing season.

oh my fucking god.

Or create f**k all for 90 minutes and maybe deserve a replay. One league win and eight points in two months.

Falkirk's signings are impressive imo. Getting to play them while the ink on their contracts is still drying (and while they still haven't signed a proper keeper) is obviously for the best. Not confident of a win, as vital as it is to get things back on track. Failure yet again to win a home game, against the side at the foot of the table this time, would be a big indication that the team hasn't got the steam to make it to the end of the season, Shankland or no Shankland, especially if County stop needlessly throwing points away. On the other hand it could be a cricket score. Fingers crossed. Anyone who gets needlessly sent off should be entertaining the possibility of someone else having their badge number by February.