Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
RIDICULOUS Wilson rages at offside call as Airdrie routed
Albion Rovers were left to rue their missed chances after Stenhousemuir scored a late equaliser.
Rovers had taken the lead through a Mick Dunlop tap-in from a corner, before Stenny forward Mason Robertson scored in the last five minutes.
They home side enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges, as they looked to have scored after a neat passing move between Gary Fisher and Ross Stewart put in Ryan Wallace.
However, the strikers overhead-kick was smothered by Warriors keeper David Crawford.
A direct ball forward from Alan Reid eluded the Stenhousemuir defence, and with Ross Stewart rushing onto the ball it just needed a touch to put it in the net, but it bobbled out for a goal kick.
Ryan Wallace was causing the Ochilview Park outfit’s defence all kinds of problems, and was only stopped from giving Rovers the lead by another good Crawford stop.
The Coatbridge striker’s shot from a free-kick on the edge of the box was just put round the post.
They did eventually go in front after a Ross Davidson corner caused carnage, before falling to the the feet of skipper Mick Dunlop to bundle the ball home.
It was a different Stenhousemuir side that came out for the second half, but despite pressing the Cliftonhill defence the yellow wall seemed like it would stand firm until the end.
However, it wasn’t to be as Rovers looked to double their lead, they were caught out on the counter attack as Carlos Mazana-Martinez played a dangerous ball into the six-yard box.
It was missed by Mick Dunlop, giving substitute Mason Roberston the chance to slot the ball low under Ross C Stewart.
Player/manager Darren felt that mistakes were costing them in recent matches, and they had to tighten up in defence if they have aspirations of moving away from the drop zone.
Following the game, he told the Advertiser:“Mick has held his hands up and said that he should have cleared his lines, and he has taken responsibility for the goal.
“It’s frustrating because individual mistakes seems to be costing us every week, but at the end of the day it’s a team game.
“If the strikers take the chances we create in the first half then Stenhousemuir don’t have a chance to get back into it.
“We seem to have really strong 45 minute periods.
“We can be dominating a game then come out for the second half then all of a sudden we are behind.
“Or we end the game well after a poor start, but that’s not what we want.
“We need to put it all together.
“All the teams in this division are capable of scoring and putting in a good shift, and we need to be wary of that.” Airdrieonians.....0 Livingston..........4
Mark Pirie
Airdrieonians boss Mark Wilson claimed some of the officials decisions were “ridiculous” after League One leaders Livingston demolished his side.
Livi extended their lead at the top of the table with their fourth win over the New Broomfield outfit this season.
Despite a decent opening 30 minutes for the home side, the visitors took the lead through a Sean Crighton wonder-strike. The former Diamond hit the ball on the volley from 25 yards out, and Rohan Ferguson could do nothing to stop it sailing into the net.
Things got even worse for Airdrie in the second half as a Mark Millar shot was steered into the bottom corner by Airdrie man Joe Gorman as he tried to block the shot.
Mark Wilson’s men worked hard, and eventually had the ball in the net as Iain Russell struck from a well-worked free-kick. However, the linesman flagged to rule the strike out for offside to the disbelief of fans and players alike.
Airdrieonians were deflated, and Livi took advantage as Hearts loanee Nikolay Todorov broke down the right wing to chip the ball into the path of Danny Mullen to score the third.
Todorov was again the provider as he outpaced Kieran MacDonald to play in Nicky Cadden, who scored the fourth and final goal.
The game ended in even more controversy as Cadden and Ryan Conroy clashed off the ball, and after a push the Airdrie winger saw red.
The head coach told the Advertiser he had watched video of Iain Russell’s ruled out goal and the sending off and still cannot understand it.
“I don’t want to moan about it but I’m going to, because that was well onside,” said the manager. “We’ve had a look at it, and it’s just ridiculous.
“At that point in the game when it’s 2-0 I still think we have a chance of getting in the game, and we have watched it back at least three times and Iain Russell is well on-side.
“We had a look at the red card as well, and again, it’s a ridiculous decision.
“Ryan accepts that it was a bad tackle, and Cadden walks over an pushes him. Ryan pushes him back and gets a straight red card. I don’t understand that.”
Wilson was disappointed in the nature of the defeat, adding: “If I’m honest, I don’t think there was too much in the game. They changed their shape to stifle us. It worked to a certain extent, and we didn’t really create anything,
“Then out of nothing they get a wonder goal. It’s a centre-half who hits it from 25 yards out and the ball goes in. We can’t do anything about that.
“We said at the break we still felt we were evenly matched, and to go out and try and cause them problems. Then five minutes in it’s another unfortunate goal for us to lose.
“At 2-0 down I thought we were still capable of getting something so we threw on the extra attacking player and that left gaps. We are particularly disappointed in the two goals after that.”