Last updated on .From the section Ayr

St Mirren celebrate winning last season's Championship

Seven teams will believe they can win this year's Scottish Championship, says Ayr United manager Ian McCall.

In recent season sides such as Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian have lived up to their tags as favourites on the way to promotion.

But with the lack of a "giant" this season according to McCall, the Somerset Park boss believes this season's second tier is wide open.

"It's the least predictable league that's for sure," he said.

Dundee United and Dunfermline missed out on promotion via the play-offs last season and Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who were relegated from the Premiership in 2017, also finished in the top half.

Falkirk, Greenock Morton and Queen of the South have reached the play-offs in recent seasons, while relegated sides Partick Thistle and Ross County and promoted Alloa Athletic have entered the Championship this term.

"There's six or seven teams with aspirations of going up and six or seven bigger clubs who have tasted the Premiership in the not too distant past," said McCall.

"If you ask every supporter the stock phrase is, 'I would take eighth place right now' but there is now a 'but' at the end of that.

"You sense the excitement from the supporters and in our particular case it's not just because of a new season but the hopes have been raised from how we played last season."