Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
More mistakes cost Diamonds Wilson’s men concede four to leaders
Albion Rovers boss Darren Young believes his sides big win over Stenhousemuir has been on the cards since their last three points in January.
The Cliftonhill boss was delighted as Rovers ran out winners thanks to a double from Ross Stewart and a last minute strike from super-sub Scott McBride.
The victory lifts Rovers out of the relegation play-off places, having played less games than Peterhead and Stenny - who now occupy the bottom two.
Rovers took the lead in the second half as Ross Stewart cut into the box to curl his effort into the top corner.
It was just five minutes later when Stewart tapped in his and Rovers second after defensive errors from the home side.
As the game came to a close, there was still time for Scott McBride - on his return from injury - to thump the ball home and complete the rout.
It was the Coatbridge outfit’s first win since January 7 - but gaffer Young believes that doesn’t reflect the performances of his side.
“We don’t want to get carried away - it’s only three points and there is a lot of football still to be played.
“It’s a result we have seen coming, but it’s seeing games out and holding onto results that has been our problem.
“Yes, we didn’t win many games, but the players have been performing well and just not getting the wee breaks you need.
“We have been making good chances and not taking them, or scoring and letting in too many goals.
“This is the kind of result we deserved.”
Young admitted the job is nowhere near finished with a tough run in to round of the season - which will see Rovers play four of their remaining seven games against teams currently in the promotion play-off spots.
Young said:“We want to get into the rhythm of playing every week again.
“We fell two or three points behind everyone without being able to do anything and that was frustrating, but the weather is starting to pick up so we can get the games on.
“A couple of the games we have will be on astroturf which will help us. I’m sure fans have noticed like we have that we have played well on those types of pitches this season.
“It’s the most important time of the season - and we need to keep winning.”
Mark Wilson bemoaned another defensive disaster from dire Diamonds but insists his side can still secure a top-four finish.
Hot-shot Danny Mullen’s double and goals from Declan Gallagher and Nicky Cadden clinched Livingston’s fifth win of the season over Airdrieonians who replied through Ryan Conroy and Andy Ryan’s penalty.
Title-chasing Lions are now 11 points clear at the top but full-time rivals Airdrie are stranded in fifth.
And head coach Wilson admits their ropey rearguard action has cost them time and again this season.
He said: “You can see the quality Livingston have got and it was a deserved three points for them.
“We set up with a shape to try and keep it tight for as long as we can as we’ve got the players that can go and hurt them.
“Unfortunately for us we gave away two ridiculous goals in the early part of the game.
“I’m repeating myself again as we left ourselves with a mountain to climb.
“We got back in the game and there was a spell at the start of the second half when we had some great moves.
“But you have got to keep the door locked at the back.
“If you look at the four goals conceded they are all errors and all avoidable. That’s the thing that hurts the most.
“What you can’t coach is individual errors. Too many times this season that has been the case for us.”
Airdrie face a long trip to the north-east this Saturday for a date with struggling Peterhead.
It’s looking like a shoot- out between the Diamonds, East Fife and Brechin City for the remaining play- off spots behind secondplaced Alloa Athletic.
Wilson is braced for the battle going to the wire.
He added: “We are still more than capable of getting the points we need to make the play-offs. We have six games to really get things right.”
Livi struck twice in the space of two minutes to leave the Diamonds dazed.
Mullen fired home from a Liam Buchanan cutback following a Simon Mensing error with Gallagher side-footing into the roof of the net after Shaun Byrne’s effort had hit the post.
A Conroy free-kick reduced the deficit but the Lions made it 3-1 when Mullen turned defender Jordan McGregor and netted.
Ex- Diamond Cadden added a fourth before Ryan scored a consolation from the spot after Craig Halkett felled Iain Russell.