Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Covid-hit Airdrie pull off first win
Ian Murray was thrilled that Airdrie battled adversity to secure their first league win of the season against Peterhead.
The Diamonds were without five firstteam players due to a Covid outbreak and they were unable to train with the game in question.
Airdrie received the green light to play and they recorded an excellent 3-2 away win at Balmoor.
Boss Murray admits it was an uncertain week but he praised his players for adapting to the situation to produce an encouraging performance.
“I’m delighted with the three points,” Murray admitted. “Peterhead is always a tough place to go regardless of our circumstances.
“It was different for us given the players we had missing but we adjusted well. We played really well and it was important to get the result.
“The start of the week was fine and we were preparing normally but it flared up at the end of the week.
“It was just a waiting game to see if the game was on or off due to the cases and track and trace.
“The only positive thing is that we knew the players available would be fresh because we didn’t do anything after we found out, we just couldn’t.
“The players adapted really well and it justified the decision to play the game.”
A scintillating Airdrie performance resulted in a 3-0 lead by the 75th minute, courtesy of a Rhys Mccabe double and a Gabby Mcgill strike.
Murray insisted it was fully deserved but Peterhead mounted a late comeback to pull two goals back through Scott Brown and Russell Mclean to ensure a nervy finish.
Murray added: “We dominated the game from the first minute and that’s no disrespect to Peterhead – that was just the reality.
“Three nil didn’t flatter us and it probably should have been more. We were doing absolutely fine but we knew Peterhead would have a bit of pressure being the home team.
“Scott Brown scored one of the best volleys that I’ve ever seen and I’m not exaggerating. His technique was excellent and the ball almost burst the net so sometimes there is very little that you can do.
“The second goal is more frustrating because it’s something that we could have avoided. It set up a really nervy finish especially when they got a corner in injury time.”
It was Airdrie’s first win of the season but Murray felt it was a long time coming after some positive performances despite not picking up the points.
He explained: “We’ve performed really well except for Montrose where we deservedly lost 3-0.
“That could have been more for Montrose so we aren’t being unrealistic in our assessments. We dominated the game against Dumbarton apart from ten minutes and we felt that we dominated against Falkirk despite being two goals down at one point.
“Saturday was just a continuation of our good performances and we got the three points that we deserved.”
“The scoreline didn’t reflect the performance but we got the points in the face of adversity. There’s no point playing well if you don’t pick up points but we delivered at the weekend.”
Airdrie welcome Alloa Athletic to the Excelsior stadium on Saturday and
Murray is expecting another tough game.
He added: “It’s early days but the more points you get early, the better and Alloa are a good side.
“They’re a bit like as there’s been a lot of changes with a new manager and they’ve had to deal with relegation.
“They got a really good point on Saturday with ten men for the second half against a good Queen’s Park side.
“They’ve got really good players in forward areas so it’s going to be tough like every game in this league.
“It’s an opportunity for us to get our first home win of the season which is an incentive.”