Airdrie visit Dunfermline on Saturday for the first away league fixture of the season, and Chris Mochrie wants to see more of the fight which earned the Diamonds a point against title favourites Ross County.

Euan Henderson’s double rescued a point after two Akil Wright headers had put the Staggies in a commanding position last weekend, and Mochrie says Airdrie’s second half performance was much closer to what the squad expect of themselves.

“I thought in the first half we didn’t really start with the intensity that we had in the second half – so it’s just about trying to get that intensity, get the ball back in quick.

“That’s the way we want to play, so the more often we can do that the better for us, but it has been a good start.

“We were quite unfortunate to go out of the league cup, but we had a lot of good performances so we’ll take confidence from that and take that into Saturday.”

East End Park is the scene for Saturday’s showdown with Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline Athletic, the club where midfielder Mochrie won the 2022/23 League 1 title on loan from Dundee United.

It’s a ground which the Diamonds are also used to visiting, having won promotion via the play-offs that same season, and Mochrie knows what to expect.

“It’s going to be a tough game. We obviously played them four times last season, and all the games were tough so we just need to be ready, get good preparation this week, and just look forward to it.

“Neil Lennon’s obviously a really good manager with a lot of experience, so I’m sure he’ll have them playing the way they want to play – but we need to focus on ourselves. It was a good start on Saturday, so hopefully we can keep that going.”

And Mochrie will be hoping to make it a happy return to an old hunting ground as he continues in a more advanced role – one which he is relishing.

“It’s been a bit different playing up there on my own. Last year was more of a two upfront so not all of the focus was on me being up there on my own.

“I’ve enjoyed it, it’s just about learning new things. If the gaffer wants me to play there I’ll give my all and just keep trying to improve as much as I can.”

And with fellow forward Henderson grabbing the glory last weekend, Chris is hopeful that it’s his turn to grab the headlines after putting in the extra graft with his new team-mate.

“We were out last week after training just doing a few shots and stuff, and obviously he gets the benefit of that, scoring two.

“He’s only just signed and it’s only been a few games, but I’ve enjoyed playing with him and hopefully we can keep building that relationship. I think it’s my turn to score now!”

Diamonds boss Rhys McCabe expects a different Dunfermline now that former Celtic manager Lennon has had a pre-season with his players.

“It’ll be a tough game away from home. Obviously Neil has got some new players in and he’s had a lot more time to put his stamp on things.

“I think they’ll be much better and much stronger this time round as opposed to when we played them at points last season.

“We know it’s going to be a tough game, but again we’re on the back end of a positive result and a good couple of performances.”

Cammy Bruce (knee) and Aaron Reid (hamstring) remain sidelined for the Diamonds, but Alex King is hoping to be in contention after being withdrawn early last weekend with a leg knock.

Referee Ryan Lee’s three games involving Airdrie last season included a defeat to Livingston and draws against Greenock Morton and Raith Rovers.

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.

Supporters are advised that East End Park is a cashless ground, refreshment kiosks operate on a card-only basis. Match tickets must be purchased online in advance as there will be no cash gate on the day.