Airdrie suffer third defeat in a row

Raith .................. 2 Airdrie ............... 0 Mark Pirie Airdrie slumped to three defeats in a row despite a battling performance against league leaders Raith Rovers.

The managerless Diamonds were led again by Stephen Findlay alongside captain Marc Fitzpatrick, and their gameplan seemed to be working until two late strikes from Jason Thomson and substitute Dario Zanatta.

Sean McIntosh and Dean Cairns came into the starting line-up in Kirkcaldy, as well as Cammy Russell who impressed with a hat-trick for the under-20s earlier in the week.

Willis Furtado was leading the line for the New Broomfield men – playing most of the game as the lone striker as the Excelsior Stadium outfit looked to put a sluggish start to the season behind them.

The recent signing had the first chance of the game in three minutes when he outpaced Scott Robertson. However, he couldn’t prod the ball past home keeper Graeme Smith.

The Diamonds’early chance seemed to jolt the leaders into life and Lewis Vaughan almost opened the scoring but his shot thundered off Rohan Ferguson’s crossbar.

Raith broke the deadlock after Vaughan’s corner was swung into the back post, Ferguson couldn’t collect the cross and Jason Thomson was able to knock the ball home.

From this point Rovers only grew in confidence and could have doubled their lead from another corner but this time Thomson’s header came off the woodwork.

As the Airdrie men attempted to fight their way back into the game, Raith sealed the three points with Zanatta’s low strike nestling in Motherwell loanee Ferguson’s bottom corner.

Airdrie stay third bottom of the table, with Saturday’s match against Queen’s Park – who sit in the relegation play-off spot – now taking on an added significance.

Leading the line Furtado