Gavin Gallagher is looking forward to the home comforts of the Albert Bartlett Stadium as he aims to continue his impressive run of recent form against Falkirk this weekend.

The League 1 champions make their first trip to Airdrie since returning to the second tier, and the side who won the title without losing have continued that trend into the new season – currently sitting second in the table with four wins out of four.

Midfielder Gallagher is hoping to help put an end to the Bairns’ unbeaten streak, having claimed the supporters’ Player of the Month award after a string of top performances in recent weeks.

The latest came against Queen of the South in the SPFL Trust Trophy last Saturday as the Diamonds eased to a 3-0 win in the blistering Palmerston sun, and Gallagher was quick to praise Airdrie’s game management.

“In the cup it’s always about getting through to the next round, and obviously we’ve had a tough few weeks before that so it was just getting back to winning ways – and we did that, with a clean sheet as well.

“It was really difficult, but that’s when we need to manage the game, pass the ball about and make the Queen of the South players tired. I thought we did that really well.”

With the Dumfries win following a late comeback at Hamilton, Gallagher has proven to be an influential figure in the centre of the park.

Even before those matches, when results weren’t going Airdrie’s way, the 20-year-old was a standout – and he puts his form down to his love for the game.

“I’ve been enjoying playing my football. I’ve got a run of games thanks to the gaffer and myself, it’s just my job now to stay in the team and it’s my jersey to lose.

“I’m just going out there playing with a smile on my face, and that’s when I’m at my best.”

The challenges keep coming for Rhys McCabe’s squad, with Falkirk visiting the Albert Bartlett Stadium in the form of their lives having won the League 1 title with ease after a long and difficult spell in the third tier.

The Bairns won’t want reminding of their last visit to Monklands, however, as a rampant Airdrie side romped to a 5-0 half-time lead in the promotion play-off semi-final last May. The Diamonds went on to win the tie 7-2 on aggregate, and saw off Hamilton Academical to clinch a place in the Championship.

John McGlynn’s men made the step up in the summer, and Gallagher is aware of the quality they possess.

“They’ll be a good side, we know that and we’ll do our work on them. But we’re also a good side when we’re at home on our pitch.

“We’ll just try to implement our style of play throughout the game and hopefully we can get the win.”

And with a last-ditch tackle denying Gavin a goal to top off a brilliant performance last week, the former Rangers youngster is keen to add to his solitary strike in an Airdrie shirt.

“I want to add goals and assists to my game more regularly than I have been doing.

“When I play higher up the pitch I just need to get into those positions and arrive late into the box – and hopefully score!”

Diamonds boss Rhys McCabe wants his side to continue their upward trend in terms of performances and results, and believes the backing of the Airdrie faithful can play a part against Saturday’s in-form opponents.

“They’re obviously on the back of a really positive season last year, and they’ve started this season well.

“I can say from experience it’s not easy coming up from League 1 and trying to impose your ideas in the new league, but to be fair to them they’ve kept a lot of the core of the players who were with them in League 1 – it’s not like they’ve had a huge turnover of personnel.

“We’re under no illusion, it’ll be a tough game, but we’ll be looking to take advantage of the home crowd and put in a really solid performance like we did on Saturday.”

While McCabe himself continues to miss out with a calf strain, and knee injuries rule out Aidan Wilson, Dean McMaster and Liam McStravick, the outlook elsewhere is brighter with Aaron Reid and Lewis McGregor playing their part last weekend, while Craig Watson and Mason Hancock were unused substitutes following knocks. Goalkeeper Murray Johnson returns from Scotland U21 duty to rejoin the squad.

Referee Dan McFarlane officiated three Airdrie matches last season – home victories against Inverness CT in August and Raith Rovers in January, and April’s 2-1 win at Arbroath.

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

Please be aware that behaviour deemed unacceptable will result in ejection from the stadium. Issues arising during the match can be reported anonymously - see the posters around the stadium for more information. Our unacceptable conduct policy can be viewed using the link below.