August 19, 2022
Airdrieonians vs Alloa Athletic
Euan Deveney is looking for home advantage as Airdrie look to continue their unbeaten league form against Alloa Athletic.
The Wasps visit Excelsior Stadium this weekend having started their cinch League 1 campaign with two defeats and a win - whereas the Diamonds have two wins and a draw under their belts from their opening fixtures.
Summer signing Deveney is understandably pleased with the start to his Airdrie career.
“Personally it’s good to be playing and getting as many minutes as possible on the pitch. The most important thing is the team, and we’re off to a good start and unbeaten still in the league.
“The experience has been brilliant, I really enjoy what the gaffer’s putting across to the players. We emulate that on the pitch - the way we play is the way we train.”
The surroundings may be new to the ex-Kilmarnock man, but playing week-in-week-out alongside player-manager Rhys McCabe has also been a refreshing experience for Deveney.
“I’m enjoying it so far - it’s great because he gets to manage on the pitch and help you through games.
“Especially in training, he paints pictures for you in a training session which obviously comes to a Saturday.”
After opening with victories against Peterhead and Falkirk, the Diamonds travelled to Dumfries last weekend and played out a 1-1 draw against Queen of the South in sweltering heat.
Defender Deveney believes a point apiece was the correct outcome in trying conditions.
“Honestly, the first half was so difficult. Even coming out for the second half, you need to get going again and that’s tough. The 15-minute break is obviously brilliant at half-time, but it’s one of the toughest football matches I’ve ever played in.
“A point was a fair result in the end. We were the better team in the first half, second half they came out and had obviously had a wee jag from their manager at half-time. We were happy to get the game out the way, but at the same time we did look to go and win it.”
With a return to more typical Scottish weather during the week, Euan and his team-mates are unlikely to face the same challenges on Saturday when Brian Rice’s Alloa side come to town, and the 19-year-old says Airdrie will have to be at their best to continue their unbeaten form.
“Momentum is massive in this league - getting a run of games together, points and wins on the board is massive.
“I’ve played against Alloa a good few times now. I’ve beaten them before, I’ve drawn with them before. As I’ve said before, we’ll be confident playing anybody, especially at home.
“Saturday’s Saturday, and the best team on the day will win the match.”
Manager Rhys McCabe says the Indodrill side, who brought in seven new faces during the summer, will provide stern opposition as always.
“In terms of performances so far, from what we’ve seen they seem to be taking on Brian Rice’s style and looking to play football.
“They’ve had a few additions as well, so we’ll be expecting a tough game at the weekend.”
The Diamonds boss expects to be in the same position when it comes to personnel, with goalkeeper Josh Rae still working on his recovery from a shoulder injury. Midfielder Dean McMaster has been consulting a specialist regarding bone bruising on his leg, but hopes to be back to match fitness as soon as possible.
Referee Alan Muir makes his second visit of the season to the Excelsior, having already overseen July’s 2-0 Premier Sports Cup win over St Mirren.
Match tickets are available using the link below, and our live stream is available outside of the UK and Ireland with our DTV subscription packages.
VS
Saturday August 20, 2022
3:00pm
Excelsior Stadium, Airdrie
Referee
Alan Muir
Assistants
Gordon Crawford, Kevin Buchanan