Beating Saints tops sinking Motherwell

Airdrie player/boss Rhys Mccabe says their stunning 2-0 win over 10-man St Mirren blows last year’s victory over Motherwell“out of the water”.

Goals from Justin Devenny and Kyan Gunn gave Airdrie a comfortable win over their Premiership opponents, who had Greg Kiltie shown a straight red card in 33 minutes for a crude challenge on Euan Deveney.

It mattered not in terms of last 16 qualification as a 3-0 defeat at Arbroath on Saturday ended Airdrie’s hopes of progressing, but Mccabe knows the confidence it will give his side and reckoned it was a greater result than their 2-0 victory over ‘Well, in which Mccabe scored a sumptuous free-kick.

The Diamonds boss said: “We had that positive win over Motherwell last year, but I think we blew that out the water with the way we played.

“I think the red card changes the dynamic of the game, in terms of knocking the ball about, having that extra player.

“We made sure that at half-time the sole focus was on ‘we’ve got 11 players, they’ve only got 10’ and that played to our advantage, especially in the midfield.

“We’ve practiced every day on a style and a method of how we want to play.

“It would have been easy for us to go and shy away from that and play a different style of game, but credit to the lads, and credit to the club who have fully got behind myself, Callum Fordyce and David Hutton, and the boys here.

“Everyone’s almost expecting and wanting us to fail so it’s moments like this that give us that real boost of confidence.”

Saturday at Gayfield was a different story, however, and Mccabe Airdrie was angered by their sloppiness in front of goal.

He said: “It’s not good enough, it’s as simple as that.

“I know first-hand how difficult it is to come up here, and to have three opportunities like that away to Arbroath and not to take any of them is criminal.

“I’ve harped on about it now for a couple of weeks and I’ve given everyone the benefit of the doubt, in terms of hoping it’s lack of match fitness, preparation, it still being pre-season.

“But we need to get that into our game, that ruthless side. If we don’t, a few things will need to get changed.”

That tops it Kyan Gunn celebrates his clincher against Saints and, inset, Mccabe nets against Motherwell last year