Lyons in the groove with Gable Endies

AIRDRIEONIANS 1 MONTROSE 3

Blair Lyons, Montrose’s two goal hero at Penny Cars Stadium, confessed that it has taken him time to settle having leapfrogged from the Lowland League to League 1 this season.

On the evidence of Saturday he has bedded in well.

Not only did he find the net with the important equaliser, he had a big hand in the second and hit the net in the final minute to make sure of the Gable Endies’ third successive win.

“I was with Stirling University in the Lowland League. It’s a lot different in League 1,” he said.

“My first month or two I took quite a while to adapt but now I feel I’m getting better every game I play.”

The Gable Endies had found themselves behind in just the third minute. Callum Smith took advantage when the ball came back to him off the crossbar following a corner.

According to Lyons, earlier in the season that would have set the team back, saying: “It would have affected us and we would have struggled to get that equaliser. But having won the last two games we have shown we can score goals.”

That confidence meant on Saturday Montrose took hold of the game.

Airdrie were under pressure, trying to play out from the back, and came unstuck on 16 minutes.

The ball was intercepted and came to Lyons who recalled: “It was a big switch and I got possession on the left, cut inside, took a fair touch and hit it with my right foot.”

A mark of the visitors’ accomplished control was that Airdrie did not force a second corner until the 25th minute.

With the home defence out of position, Montrose broke quickly through Joel Macbeath who found Lyons and when his shot was saved Graham Webster tapped home.

Airdrie roused themselves to push for a late equaliser but Lyons made sure in stoppage time that the points were Montrose’s.

He said: “Craig Johnston knocked it down to me and I took a touch on to my left and hit it home.”

Blair Lyons: Growing in confidence for the Gable Endies.