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October 11, 2024

Airdrieonians vs East Kilbride

Craig Watson says Airdrie’s previous result again East Kilbride is meaningless as the Diamonds welcome the K-Park side back to the Albert Bartlett Stadium for Saturday’s SPFL Trust Trophy tie.

An 8-0 home win in July kicked off a successful Premier Sports Cup group for the Diamonds, and although picking up league results has proven to be less straightforward, the green shoots of recovery have shown in recent performances.

Watson and his team-mates ended their recent run of losses with a draw against Dunfermline Athletic last weekend, and with many believing that Airdrie were worthy of a win, the Diamonds defender is looking on the bright side.

“We’re taking the positives from the performance. Although we never got the three points, there were elements of the performance that were what they should have been at the weekend.

“We’ve just got to keep the positive momentum going, turn the draws into wins, and get us back to where we should be.”

A break from league duty follows now as Airdrie resume their defence of the SPFL Trust Trophy, with a first home tie in the competition since September 2022.

The Diamonds lifted the trophy last season after beating University of Stirling, Rangers B, Morton, Raith Rovers and The New Saints away from home, and started this season’s campaign with a 3-0 win at Queen of the South.

Watson says another professional performance is crucial at the Albert Bartlett Stadium.

“Obviously the result is massive, and yes, we want to defend the trophy – but it’s really important for the longevity of the season that we start to put in the 90-minute performances that we expect.

“We have to apply what we want to do, and not let them dictate the game. That starts from the first whistle – I know it’s a bit of a cliche, but we’ve got to get after it, set the tempo early, be aggressive and positive, and don’t take anything for granted.”

While the Diamonds will be giving their all to progress to the quarter-final, few will expect a repeat of July’s result when hat-tricks for Ben Wilson and Lewis McGregor and goals from Rhys Armstrong and Mason Hancock handed Airdrie an 8-0 win over shellshocked Kilby.

Watson, who went close himself on the night as he cracked a free-kick against the crossbar, says the handsome scoreline may not have been a true reflection of the match.

“If you look back at the game, I know the scoreline doesn’t say this, but they were decent in terms of their intent to knock the ball about. We were obviously pretty deadly on the counter, but they came out with intent, they looked to keep the ball in a similar style to what we try to implement.

“So we know what they’re capable of – they obviously do well in their league, so there’s no question that we’ll let our guard down or take anything for granted. We’ll go in completely 100%, and we’ve got the added initiative that we’re defending a trophy.”

With the reward of a cup quarter-final awaiting Saturday’s victors, there is also a bigger picture at stake.

Craig believes that while Airdrie should be wary of their Lowland League opponents, a positive outcome would be huge in terms of continuing an upward trend of results when Championship duties resume.

“We’re looking forward to hopefully getting a good positive result on Saturday, just keeping those wheels turning, getting the momentum going, and taking it into the league afterwards.

“We’ll treat them like every other team and give them the respect that they’re due. We’ll do our analysis, look into their recent form and line-ups, just as they’ll be doing with us. Nothing really changes in terms of preparation, hard work on the pitch and off the pitch, being fully prepared and giving it our all.”

Diamonds boss Rhys McCabe insists that his squad will guard against complacency having already racked up a bumper scoreline against Mick Kennedy’s side.

“I touched on it before, there’s loads to like about the guys at East Kilbride. I know Si and Mick and the style that they want to play, it’s very similar to the way that I see football. It’s really entertaining on the eye – obviously with the last time we played them being a high scoreline, they’ll be disappointed and frustrated and looking to rectify that.

“The pressure’s on us, we’re the side that’s expected to go and win the game. That’s the message to the boys all week at training – just because of the last scoreline or current positions, it’s really important that you give them the utmost respect. If you don’t, they can certainly hurt you.

“It’s all about approach, mentality, being professional in the right areas, being clinical when you need to and defending when you need to, and getting the job done. In cup competitions there’s usually one or two shocks, and the message from myself and the staff will be that we’re not going to be one of them.”

Striker Aaron Reid has rejoined the injury list and will miss a number of weeks after picking up a hamstring tear against Dunfermline. He joins McCabe, Aidan Wilson, Dean McMaster, Terrell Agyemang and Liam McStravick on the sidelines, while goalkeeper Murray Johnson is on international duty with the Scotland U21 squad.

Referee Greg Soutar takes charge of his first match involving the Diamonds.

Match tickets are available using the link below, and our DiamondsTV video and audio streams are available on pay-per-match basis. As the fixture falls outwith the FA’s blocked hours, there are no restrictions on availability.

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.

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Saturday October 12, 2024

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1:30pm

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The Albert Bartlett Stadium, Airdrie

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Referee

Greg Soutar


Assistants

Gordon Crawford, Brian Christie

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