Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Airdrie set for sons
Airdrie striker Calum Gallagher says Sunday’s match with former club Dumbarton could have an added edge to it after a madcap game earlier in the season.
The Diamonds head into the contest off the back of a 3-1 win over Alloa and having played Queen’s Park on Wednesday night in their bid for promotion from League One to the Championship.
It may have been 3-2 to Airdrie, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
The match produced four red cards for the Sons, including one for boss Stevie Farrell, two penalties (one saved) and a disallowed goal.
AIRDRIEONIANS ................................... 3
ALLOA ATHLETIC .................................. 1 Boss Ian Murray was delighted with his Diamonds as their work on the training field paid off to spark a fast start and a comfortable victory over Alloa on Boxing Day.
Airdrie made a quick-fire start as goals from Callum Smith and Calum Gallagher had them 2-0 up inside the first seven minutes at New Broomfield, before Kerr Mcinroy netted a goal of the season contender for the third and Euan Henderson grabbed a consolation for the visitors.
It lifted the Diamonds, who were 2-1 up over Clyde last week when their game was abandoned after 70 minutes due to fog, up to third in League One and Murray heaped praise on his players for putting their hard work in the week into action against Wasps.
He beamed: “It’s an excellent result and a continuation of our performance last week.
“For large parts of the game we knocked the ball about well.
“There were lots of aspects I was really pleased with because we worked really hard on a few things in particular: the ball being played up to our strikers and our runners coming through.
“I thought it was something we could get better at and we did that. It didn’t come off all the time in this game, but we are still fine tuning it.
“It was a huge step in the right direction and we scored some really good goals.
“I felt our first one was great. The things we talked about before the game about winning the ball in the middle of park is so important and we passed it really quickly down the sides, and got runners down the sides of centrehalves.
“Gal has shown us in the past couple of seasons how good a player he can be and his goal was fantastic.
His touch, his run, his composure and his finish was great. I’m delighted for him and everybody because it was a really good three points for us.”
Man of the match Mcinroy cut across the ball and rifled a stunning strike into the top corner from 25 yards to net his third goal in 10 appearances for the Diamonds.
But the on-loan Celtic midfielder felt there was quality in all three of their goals.
He said: “It was a really good goal and I’m delighted with it.
“As soon as I hit it I knew it was in.” it’d be hard to top that this season but I’ll try my hardest.
”I’d say we scored three good goals. Smithy’s first, Gal’s touch for the second was good as well and then mine so we are all delighted with that.
“We got off to a really quick start. I slipped Smithy through and he had a good finish and we took it on from there.
“The first 10 minutes we blew them away and we just need to take that into the next game.”
Next up for Airdrie they host Queen’s Park tonight, kick-off 7.45pm, and they bring in the new year on Sunday when they travel to Dumbarton, kick-off 1.30pm.