PETER HOUSTON’S THREE TO WATCH

Lawrence Shankland (Ayr)

Every club in this division will need a guy who puts the ball in the back of the net – and Ayr have Shankland.

I first watched him at St Mirren on loan and he’s a terrific goalscorer.

He had to up his work-rate and get a bit fitter but it looks as if he’s done that now. He has hit two hat-tricks in the Betfred Cup already and took his tally to seven with another goal against Partick to help Ayr top their group.

It’s crunch time in Shankland’s career. Can he go on to bigger, better things and how much does he want it?

If he’s rattling in goals with an unfancied club, a bigger side will take a chance on him.

Nathan Austin (ICT)

He is definitely one to keep an eye on for Caley Thistle. If Nathan (right) is given the right service, he knows how to score.

I had him at Falkirk and it just didn’t work out for him. He wasn’t as consistent as he should have been but he had a few hamstring injuries.

If he steers clear of that, he can be really important to Inverness this season and a big player in the league.

Faissal El Bakhtaoui (Dunfermline)

The French-Moroccan forward could be a massive loan signing for the Pars. I expect Allan Johnston to stick with two strikers and Faissal (below) could be a big player for them. He was great in his last spell at the club. He likes the place and is suited to the way Allan plays. He’s talented and if they can get the best out of him, he’ll be really important. He could partner Myles Hippolyte and both are quick enough to run in behind and be a nightmare for defences.