Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
FANSWILLSEEA ‘PROPER’DERBY
Murray relishing Well League Cup tie
Airdrie boss Ian Murray can’t wait to face Motherwell in a“proper Lanarkshire derby”with fans from both sides in the stadium.
Graham Alexander’s Well side will make the short journey to face the Diamonds in the Premier Sports Cup tonight (Wednesday).
Murray is under no illusions as to just how much it means to the Airdrie faithful and it’s the first competitive meeting between the sides since 2007.
Due to restrictions easing, 700 ‘Well fans will be in the away end for the televised clash, and Murray admits it’ll be a brilliant occasion.
“It’s a massive game,” said Murray. “It’s a competitive fixture and the clock is ticking until the league starts, plus you need to add in the derby element.
“It’s a huge occasion. Nobody is going to win anything on Wednesday night but they certainly gain confidence and a shot in the arm with a win over your rivals.
“Having both sets of fans back is great for the players and great for everybody – the fans, the staff – and the TV cameras make the whole occasion better.
“Hopefully both teams put on a good show.”
Murray added: “It’s the proper derby, if you like, and that adds a lot of spice to it.
“We shouldn’t need to do too much to get the players up for the game but we don’t want anybody overstepping the mark in terms of discipline and health.
“If you’re over excited or too zealous then you can hurt yourself.
“We need to win the game to maintain realistic expectations of getting through the group.
“We also need to remember that the fundamental purpose at this stage is to not pick up any injuries.
“We are not going out to be passive or just let Motherwell play – certainly not. We are looking to get points so we can get out of the group.”
Airdrie picked up a bonus point after their penalty shootout win over Queen’s Park on Saturday.
A win over their Premiership opponents would massively increase their chances of qualifying, as they end the group at Queen of the South on Saturday.
Murray only named four substitutes at the weekend and hopes some key players – including Rhys Mccabe and Dylan Easton – will return soon.
The 40-year-old said: “I’m happy that we had last midweek off because it helped with the amount of injuries that we had.
“We are in better shape, especially going into the Queen of the South game.
“Rhys will train on Tuesday and, barring any setbacks, he will be in the squad. Josh Kerr will be back in the squad because he wasn’t completely right on Saturday.
“We will look to add Adam Frizzell and Pat Pyott back to the training group on Thursday or Friday.
“Dylan’s injury isn’t nearly as bad as we first thought, which is great news for us. It’s still going to be a couple of weeks but we are hoping to have him back for the league campaign kicking off.”