McBride reign ends with battling victory

East Fife.............0 Airdrieonians..... 1 Kevin McBride insisted that Airdrieonians’ players deserved all the credit after he won what turned out to be his last game in charge.

The 35-year-old’s spell as head coach was brought to an end on Sunday with the team sitting fourth in League One. Andy Ryan’s first-half strike proved to be the difference at New Bayview in a game which saw two red cards.

Fifers defender Jonathan Page walked for two bookings picked up in quick succession, while Sean McIntosh was sent-off for denying Kevin Smith a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Ryan netted in the ninth minute after Joe Gorman flicked on Ryan Conroy’s free-kick.

It’s now three wins in four games — and back-to-back victories — for Airdrie but that wasn’t enough to spare McBride the axe.

Speaking immediately after the final whistle, he said:“The players deserve all the praise.

“They have been fantastic since I came in and I’ve always believed in them.

“We have worked very hard and defensively as a team I thought we were hard to break down.”

McBride added:“We knew that it was going to be difficult and that it wasn’t going to be a nice, pretty football game.

“But you have got to come to places like this and grind out the three points.” AIRDRIE: Ferguson; Stewart (McIntosh 46); Boateng, Gorman, MacDonald; Conroy, Leitch, Fitzpatrick; Brown, Ryan (Leighton 90), I Russell. SUBS NOT USED: Kerr (gk), Cairns, Scullion, McLaughlin, C Russell. BOOKED: Stewart, Boateng, Fitzpatrick, I Russell. SENT-OFF: McIntosh.