George Oakley insists he’ll always back himself to hit the goal trail at Ayr after his season ignited on Saturday.
The striker notched the perfect hat trick during a first half demolition of Raith Rovers that took United up to second in the Championship.
The Honest Men are set for a big January with boss Scott Brown ready to bolster his squad – and a new striker is on his shopping list.
But Oakley sent a timely reminder that Ayr have one of the league’s most potent threats with his sizzling show against Rovers.
He said: “The gaffer knows what he has in me and I know what I have in myself. Sometimes you just need a bit of support up there and losing Anton [Dowds] so early in the season was a blow.
“But I’ve proved I can score goals in this league and the league above as well, and the boys are getting the service to me which means I can put the ball in the back of the net.
“Whatever happens in January in terms of getting another striker in will only better the team, so it has to be a positive for everyone.”
Brown is preparing to go into the market and hopes to add at least one new face this week. Talks are ongoing to try and tie up deals, with the boss keen to add more depth in both defence and midfield.
The manager is also keen to recruit extra firepower up top with Oakley having carried much of the weight on his shoulders following Dowds’ early season injury.
But Saturday’s treble hero insists the brilliant team performance proves Ayr have what it takes when they click into gear.
He added: “We knew with Raith having a new manager that they’d want a fast start and we had to match that. We absolutely dominated the full game and you can’t ask for much better than that.
“It’s probably as well as we’ve played in my time here. We had the game earlier in the season against Airdrie and since then we may have dominated the odd half.
“But this felt like a full game of complete control. We’ve got good momentum at the moment.
“Results went our way last week and we maybe didn’t capitalise so it makes it all the better that we were able to do it this time.”