Airdrie head to Stark’s Park aiming to make it five unbeaten against title-chasers Raith Rovers, but Charlie Telfer warns that the Kirkcaldy men will be going all out for the win.

The Diamonds have proven a real thorn in the side of former boss Ian Murray this season, winning twice and drawing once in the league before knocking the Rovers out of the SPFL Trust Trophy at the semi-final stage.

The sides meet on Tuesday evening in a match rearranged to accommodate Airdrie’s triumphant appearance in the final of that tournament, but it’s back to league duties now as Raith fight for the title and Airdrie chase a play-off spot.

Speaking after Saturday’s 3-1 win over Greenock Morton, midfielder Telfer was pleased with the Diamonds’ performance.

“I think we were good. The last month or so we’ve gone away from what we’re really good at, and what makes us different from other teams - and we emphasised this week that we were going to play out and be brave with the ball.

“I think at times we saw success from that. We broke the press, and we had some really good chances from our build-up. We’re really happy, for a good 70 or 80 minutes we were really good.”

After Nikolay Todorov’s first-minute strike had opened the scoring, Telfer netted the second and set up the third before Morton grabbed a late consolation.

The former Rangers and Dundee United man is enjoying an impressive season for Airdrie, and was pleased to add to his goal tally with a fine finish.

“I felt at times when we broke or we got over their press, it opened up in the middle of the park, and Gabby just sees me and plays me in.

“I just took the shot on, caught it really well, and as soon as I hit it I knew it was in!”

As well as the quality finishing on display, there was also a bit of needle to the match, with tempers boiling over in the 78th minute.

Telfer believes the side’s willingness to get involved points to a strong team spirit.

“That comes with the team bonding as the season goes on - when I first came in here I thought there was a really good togetherness. When I was at Falkirk, you could tell when the club came that all the boys got on and were pulling in the same direction.

“It was a good day for us, and that’s probably summed up the togetherness. Hopefully we can use that spirit to get us over the line and get us in the play-offs, but there’s a long way to go.”

As has become customary this season, there’s no time to rest as another fixture looms on the horizon, and it’s a third visit of the season to Stark’s Park to take on the familiar faces of Raith Rovers.

The sides drew 1-1 in the first Kirkcaldy meeting, Todorov cancelling out Callum Smith’s first-half strike. The Bulgarian was on the scoresheet again in the SPFL Trust Trophy match, netting the only goal of the game.

The Diamonds have also won both matches at the Excelsior, Calum Gallagher getting the goal in September’s 1-0 win before that man Todorov popped up again to secure the same scoreline in January.

With both sides gunning for promotion, another tight encounter can be expected on Tuesday evening, and Charlie says past results are meaningless.

“We’ve had success this season, but that doesn’t mean anything going into the game - if anything they’re probably going to be up for it a wee bit more. We need to match that.

“They’re a good team, and we’ve played well against them this season. Probably at times we’ve not played as well as we actually think we can do, so hopefully we can lift it again.

“It’s going to be a good game, it’ll be competitive. Hopefully we can do enough to get some more points on the board.”

Manager Rhys McCabe agrees that it will be a clean slate for both sides when the whistle blows on Tuesday.

“They’re a good side - just because we’ve had the better of them over the course of the season, that means nothing.

“It’s a new game, they’re potentially challenging for a title which goes to show that over the course of the season they’ve been better.

“We’ve got to give them the respect that they’re due, but at the same time we don’t go in in fear, and we’ll try to use past experiences and things that have worked well for us, and ultimately just go and enjoy the game.”

The Diamonds boss is still expected to miss out with a calf injury sustained in the SPFL Trust Trophy final, and he’ll again be joined on the sidelines by goalkeeper Josh Rae (head) and midfielders Murray Aiken (ankle) and Liam McStravick (knee).

Referee Lloyd Wilson has already been involved in the fixture this season, officiating when Airdrie won 1-0 at home in September. The whistler was also in charge of January’s 1-1 draw with Partick Thistle at the Excelsior.

Match tickets are available using the link below, and our DiamondsTV video (subscribers outwith the UK & Ireland) and audio (pay-per-match worldwide) streams are also available subject to connectivity.