Dundee United sealed their place in the play-offs at Ayr.
But the 0-0 draw will be viewed as a big opportunity lost to move into second place and avoid the hard road to the Premiership.
With Morton losing and Falkirk drawing before United took to the Somerset Park pitch, they knew that a win would lift them into runners-up spot.
Not for the first time this season, though, their away form let them down.
Despite creating a number of chances the Tangerines couldn’t score.
In-form Thomas Mikkelsen had one first half near miss and another effort chalked off for offside, with Tony Andreu and Stewart Murdoch also coming close.
United’s need for the victory was great but so too was Ayr’s, who are now three points adrift at the bottom.
In stoppage time, former Dundee hero Gary Harkins struck the bar with a free-kick.
Help support quality local journalism … become a digital subscriber to The Courier
For as little as £5.99 a month you can access all of our content, including Premium articles.
Subscribe