Steven Whittaker and Scott Brown have both exited Ayr United. Former Celtic and Scotland midfielder Scott Brown has stood down as Ayr United manager "by mutual consent", the Scottish Championship club has announced.

The 40-year-old exits Somerset Park along with assistant Steven Whittaker, the former Rangers and Scotland defender, after a run of nine games without a victory. Ayr slipped to sixth in Scotland's second tier after Saturday's 3-0 loss against Raith Rovers, a defeat that meant their hosts leapfrogged Brown's side into fifth.

The Honest Men have dropped out of the promotion play-off places and trail five points behind fourth-placed Dunfermline Athletic, who also have a game in hand.

Brown took charge of Ayr in January 2024 and lifted them clear of relegation trouble before a third-place finish in his first full season in charge, but the momentum has shifted in the opposite direction in recent weeks.

Having started his coaching career as player-coach with Aberdeen after leaving Celtic, Brown had a spell in charge of Fleetwood Town, but after a 13th-place finish in his first season with the League One club, he was sacked in September 2023 after a poor start to his second campaign.

Veteran winger Jamie Murphy, along with first-team coach Tommy Tait and goalkeeper coach Dave Timmins, have taken Ayr training before "further communication regarding an interim position in due course".