IN THE DOOR: Gary Naysmith and Brown Ferguson arrive following promotion success (Image: Ayr United via X)
New Ayr United manager Gary Naysmith says he is “really keen to get going” as he was unveiled at Somerset Park earlier this week.
The former Scotland star, assisted by Brown Ferguson, arrives in Ayrshire on the back of winning promotion to the Championship with former club Stenhousemuir for the first time in their history.
Naysmith believes the ambition, the people, and the infrastructure, which he argues should be looked at if “looking towards the Premiership”, is why he made the step back up to full-time management.
Now Ayrshire sat down with the new Ayr boss in the club’s boardroom to discuss his vision for the future.
On leaving Ochilview Park, he said: “I said my farewell to the players with my last messages, and that’s football as you move on very quickly. I’m delighted to be here and Stenhousemuir now need to go and find a new manager.
“I’m not sad to be leaving there, but very happy for the time I had. I’m just really excited at what lies ahead for myself and Brown.”
Videos emerged on social media following the Warriors’ playoff final success on Saturday, with Naysmith addressing the fans “from the bottom of his heart” for their influence on the journey.
“It wasn’t rehearsed” he assured on his farewell speech. “I think it’s came over quite well and it was just a showing of how they felt towards me as a manager.
“I don’t think I had one bit of criticism by them as their manager, but I was very open with them and they were the same with me. I’ve tried to be the same at all my clubs, if we’ve played well I’ll say we have and the same if we haven’t.”
Looking ahead to his time in the Somerset hotseat, he believes that getting the club promoted to the Premiership, for the first time since 1978, is the “ultimate aim”.
He added: “I’m very ambitious and want to get as high as I can as a manager. The club said the right things in terms of their ambition, and I just felt it was the next step for me in my career.
“There’s a lot of hard work in front of us and we’ve got to be prepared to work hard, there won’t be any overnight success. Good foundations are already in place with some good players at the club already, and it’s up to me to take that step further to get the club promoted.”
Naysmith returns to Championship level for the first time since his departure from Queen of the South in 2019, where he was fortunate to work with current Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes.
His managerial journey has seen stints at East Fife, Edinburgh City, and coaching experience at former club Heart of Midlothian, added with 46 national caps for Scotland.
Naysmith’s three-year spell at Championship newcomers Stenny saw the club guided to their first ever league title in 2024, lifting the League Two trophy, and recent promotion to the second tier.
