Livingston v Airdrie preview
26th April 2013
It's the final home game of the season for Airdrie tomorrow with Livingston the visitors to New Broomfield.
And manager Jimmy Boyle is preparing to field a youthful line-up due to a late-season injury crisis.
On-loan Celtic keeper Robbie Thomson, defender Gavin Griffin, midfielders Nathan Blockley and Sean Lynch and strikers John Boyle and Jordan Kirkpatrick are all out.
Club captain David Lilley is also missing although Boyle hopes Ricki Lamie and Grant Evans will be available for selection.
He said: "We're looking towards next season so there will be more chances for the likes of Grant Drummond and Liam Coogans.
"I'm also hoping to give young Jamie Barclay some game time as he's been doing well and is one for the future.
"We're going out to try and win these last two matches. We want to end the season on some sort of a high.
"This has been a terrible season for us but the young players coming through is a positive we can build on."
Boyle is deeply unhappy with how Airdrie's campaign has gone with relegation to the Irn-Bru Second Division confirmed earlier this month.
The manager accepts the criticism being pushed in his direction but believes some players have produced too many below-par displays.
"I feel that I've let the club down but all I can do is put the team on the park that I think will get us a result," he added.
"The players have to have pride in themselves and pride in the club that is paying them to do a job. That's maybe been a problem for us."
Looking to next season is already the order of the day for Boyle who is determined to make next season a successful one.
He said: "We will be working hard from now right through the summer to get the right people into this football club; bring in the right experience in the right areas.
"We know which players we want to keep and which ones we're not. The team needs to progress and this season has been too much for us.
"We weren't ready for going up to the First Division. But I cannot excuse some of the performances that have been produced this season."