Gary Naysmith has revealed why he intervened and asked Ayr United and Stenhousemuir to announce his move to Somerset Park during the Warriors’ play-off campaign.

The former Stenhousemuir boss led the club to Scottish Championship promotion despite the news breaking, with a 3-2 aggregate play-off final success over Alloa Athletic ensuring that his time with the Warriors ended on another high.

Now Stenhousemuir’s greatest manager, Naysmith had already led the Ochilview Park club to a first-ever league title when the squad won the Scottish League Two trophy back in April 2024.

Speaking to the Falkirk Herald after the play-off success, he said: “Ayr United and Stenhousemuir both took a bit of flak for it (the announcement) which is a bit unfair because it was my choice.

Club legends Brown Ferguson and Gary Naysmith (Photo: Michael Gillen)

placeholder image — Club legends Brown Ferguson and Gary Naysmith (Photo: Michael Gillen)

"Myself and the players have such a good relationship. It was all about that. People had started hearing about it, that I was speaking to Ayr. And for me, trust within the changing room is everything. When I felt that it could find its way to the players I knew that the best thing to do was to just have it confirmed.

"I wanted the players to hear it from me first. People may have thought that the news would derail the promotion bid but I just knew that it wouldn’t because of how strong the character is within the group. I knew that it wouldn’t affect the players one bit.”

Naysmith added: “The well wishes I got from the players meant so much to me. It’s the best group I have worked with throughout my entire career.”