Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Diamonds hold league leaders after stalemate
QUEEN’S PARK ..................................... 0 AIRDRIEONIANS .................................. 0 Ian Murray joked his Airdrie side “did okay for a pub team” after holding League One leaders Queen’s Park - as he hinted at some overlying needle from their cup exit to the Spiders last week.
The Diamonds held Laurie Ellis’ men to a 0-0 draw at Firhill, eight days after the Spiders had come from behind in the SPFL Trust Trophy to knock them out of the competition on penalties.
Murray’s men arguably had the better of the game and could have taken all three points had Adam Frizzell buried a fantastic first half chance in the third meeting between the sides already this season.
Familiarity can breed contempt and after landing their first clean sheet in the league this term - as well as holding the form team in the division - Murray hinted it was a pleasing point after some words appear to have been exchanged amid their cup exit.
He said: “That’s the third time we’ve played Queen’s Park this season.
“There was a little bit of needle in the game as well from last Friday.
“I won’t name names, but I thought we did okay for a ‘pub team’.
“Coming here is a very difficult place, they are obviously on a good run, they are a hard team to beat and they are unbeaten in the league.
“We are disappointed not to win the game because we set out to do that from the beginning and I think we showed that with our three attackers.
“But sometimes the game doesn’t go according to plan.
“When it’s not going our way, we need guys to stand up and I felt for the first time this season, when we were under a little bit of pressure, we stood up to it.
“[Goalkeeper] Max [Currie] had very little to do in the second half.”
Currie was in top form in the first half though as he twice thwarted Simon Murray and then Liam Brown.
A fine flowing move from the Diamonds created the game’s best chance, with Gabby Mcgill playing a neat-one two with Calum Gallagher before picking out Frizzell, who slotted the ball agonisingly wide of the post when he should have scored.
And Murray added: “It was probably our only moment of quality in the game, but it shows that we are dangerous.
“We have to give credit to Queen’s Park for the way they setup. They are a good side, very well organised and they are a hard team to beat.”