Injuries cost Blue Toon dearly as Airdrie cash in to launch campaign

A battered and bruised Blue Toon limped away from Airdrie after a sore defeat in their League 1 opener.

Peterhead started the better side but their plans started to unravel when Simon Ferry limped off on 32 minutes.

And when Gary Mackenzie and Isaac Layne also followed in the same second half minute, they knew it was not their day.

A penalty just before half time and a secondhalf header separated the sides.

And defender Jason Brown admitted: “It was very frustrating. There was not much in the game. It was a very stuffy affair with neither goalkeeper having any work to do but we ended up losing and that was really disappointing.

“We were the better side for the first half an hour without creating too many chances. We had more possession but we did not cause too much trouble up front.

“We then lost boys to injuries and that upset our rhythm but we will go again.”

After a bright opening Peterhead threatened either side of the 15- minute mark when firstly, Layne fired over after bursting through the defence and then the impressive Andrew McCarthy picked out Brown with a back post cross but his header cleared the bar.

Ferry made up for a poorly placed pass on 32 minutes when he darted 30 yards back to his goalline to turn an Airdrie cross behind for a corner but it came at a price as the player-coach suffered a hamstring injury.

In Fe r r y ’ s absence Airdrie grew into the game and they got their noses in front two minutes from the break when Kyle Bailey tripped Dale Carrick who picked himself up and sent Joshua Rae the wrong way from the penalty.

Peterhead suffered a double blow shortly before the hour mark when Mackenzie was forced from a head knock while Layne’s match was ended by a knee injury.

Boss Jim McInally also withdrew Steven Boyd, making it a triple switch with Derryn Kesson, Lyall Cameron and Derek Lyle coming on.

Kieran Freeman threatened on the right but his cross sailed high over the unmarked Lyle.

Airdrie cashed in when Callum Fordyce headed home from a corner to seal Peterhead’s fate.

Brown , who had made a saving tackle to concede the corner, added: “I had to make a decision in the blink of an e ye and thankfully I chose well but they scored from the corner so it didn’t really matter.”

Peterhead’s Simon Ferry went off injured.