Scottish Championship form duo in BBC TV spotlight

And Brown recognises that “in this league, anyone can beat anyone”, telling Ayr United TV “that’s the amazing thing about the Championship”.

Even so, they started the league season with a convincing 2-0 win away to promoted Hamilton Academical and will be seeking a fourth consecutive win as the Diamonds visit Somerset Park.

Visiting player-manager Rhys McCabe has seen enough of Friday’s hosts to remark that “it’ll be a difficult task”, especially as he has noticed “a good bit of progression from them” this season already as they adapt more to “the ideas” of Brown and his staff.

The former Rangers youth midfielder is seven years Brown’s junior, but his two years as a team boss have packed in promotion from League 1 and a fourth-placed finish in their first season back in the second tier.

McCabe’s side have also started this season in fine fettle, opening the Championship season with a 1-0 win at home to last season’s runners-up, Raith Rovers.

Like Ayr, they have won four out of five of their outings this season, the only defeat coming away to top-tier opposition – in the visitors’ case against Aberdeen, while the Honest Men fell to Dundee United – both by a single goal.

The Diamonds, though, have had a rough time of it recently against Ayr, who have won their six meetings since losing in North Lanarkshire in December 2017, and have not won at Somerset Park in five visits since a 3-0 success in April the previous year.

Striker Ben Wilson might be the man to change that, with the summer arrival from Cliftonville itching for his first league goal after hitting six in four League Cup group outings.

Ayr, though, have their own form men, with Anton Dowds scoring three times since the forward’s loan from Partick Thistle was made permanent, the same number as on-loan Ross County midfielder Jay Henderson.