OPTIMISTIC Dalry Thistle manager Gavin Friels firmly believes his team are set to net their first league title in almost a decade.

This came after they racked up another thumping weekend win.

Thistle demolished Lugar Boswell Thistle 6-1 away to remarkably register their 10th win out of 12 in what is fast becoming a dream season.

The Garnock Valley club are just 12 points behind leaders Irvine Victoria, with six games in hand and look unstoppable.

Friels is in his fifth season in charge and is now hopeful they can take their place in next season's second tier, which will be known as the Championship under re-structuring.

The Merksworth Park club last won a league title when they landed the Ayrshire District League in 2008-9

He said: "We are on a great run and playing really good football. I have been in charge for five years now and this is a good team. We brought in Gareth Turner recently but he has been injured and came back in and did well. He has so much experience and it's great to have him here.

"It was a good performance on Saturday and =we had a comfortable win. We play Annbank home and away, Saltcoats Vics, Muirkirk, Ardrossan Winton Rovers and Whitletts Vics at home, Ardeer and Craigmark away.

"Promotion is our first target and we need four wins for that but we want the title and if we can win six that guarantees it. I think we can do it. But we are only thinking about the next game, which is at home to Whitletts on Wednesday and we must aim for a win. We hope to get Saturday's game against Annbank switched to Kilwinning Sports Club show park so we can get it played."

Ardrossan Winton Rovers caretaker boss Mark McCann was encouraged with his team's showing on Saturday as they went down 1-0 at home to promotion-chasing Craigmark Burntonians in their final home league match of the season.

He said: "It was a disappointing result but I can take positives from it. We created quite a few chances and had we been more clinical in front of goal could have taken something from the game. We play Muirkirk away on Saturday and must aim to win as we want to be in League One next season."

Meanwhile Saltcoats Victoria were condemned to the bottom tier, League Two following their 8-1 drubbing away to Lugar Boswell Thistle last Wednesday.

They have just four games remaining in what has been another frustrating season at Campbell Park.