Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Dire Diamonds salvage a point But gaffer Findlay slams ref’s penalty decision
Queen’s Park .....1 Airdrieonians.....1
Mark Pirie Airdrie first- team coach Stephen Findlay insisted the home side should not have been awarded a penalty in their clash with Queen’s Park.
But he admitted they were lucky to leave Hampden with a point.
Luke Donnelly saw his spot-kick pushed away by diving Diamonds stopper Rohan Ferguson before the visitors went ahead in nine minutes when Luke Watt curled home a freekick from the edge of the box
Visiting striker Cammy Russell looked to have been bundled over in the box by Jack Iredale but the official waved away the claims. Queen’s equalised in 38 minutes when David Galt’s corner was headed home by Adam Cummins.
Findlay admitted the Diamonds were poor but insisted: “It’s one of those ones over the long-term that will be a decent point.
“I had a really good view of the penalty and I didn’t think it was a penalty.
“Rohan makes a terrific save but Kieran (MacDonald) has tried to stand up and back away and I think the lad has made a bit of it. It happens.
“I didn’t have a great angle of it at the other end.
“Marc Fitzpatrick was saying to me it was a stonewaller but I can’t say much more.”
Kieran MacDonald was judged to have fouled Queen’s man Robbie Leitch inside the box early in the game but keeper Ferguson got down well to save.
Winger Jake Hastie looked bright down the flanks and won a free-kick on the edge of the box.
It gave the chance for fellow Motherwell kid Watt to curl the ball in, despite Michael White getting a hand to it.
The Spiders continued to threaten and a miscue by David Brownlie in defence put Willie Mortimer through on goal but a frantic Airdrie backline cleared, with Brownlie making a desperate tackle to recover.
Airdrie had their own penalty shout snubbed when young forward Russell was shoved in the six-yard box by Iredale.
The Hampden men were enjoying a lot of the ball and levelled the game as David Galt’s corner was bulleted in by towering defender Cummins in 38 minutes.
Jordan McGregor’s header from a Scott Stewart corner was the closest a tame Airdrie came to a second.