Jake Hastie believes that one win could kickstart the Diamonds’ season – and the recent loan signing is desperate for that to happen against Arbroath on Saturday.

Airdrie will face the Red Lichties under the temporary management of Aaron Taylor-Sinclair following Danny Lennon’s midweek departure, with David Hutton, Bryan Prunty and Alan Gow assisting.

The change came after Tuesday evening’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of Dunfermline Athletic, and when winger Hastie spoke after the match, he was understandably keen to put the result behind him and look ahead to the weekend.

“We’ll just get into training, work hard again, and fully focus on Saturday.

“Saturday’s massive as well – like every game coming up – and we just need to keep working hard, keep our heads down, and just go again.”

While the Diamonds’ current winless run leaves the side at the bottom of the Championship, four points behind ninth-placed Ross County, there is a belief among the squad that they are capable of digging themselves out of trouble and climbing the table.

Hastie stresses the importance of getting a milestone first victory under the belt.

“I think everybody’s still got that self-belief – it’s just trying to get that first win. Once you get that you can get that wee bit of momentum and then it kicks on from there.

“Once you get that one goal, you go and get another one and everybody comes to life a wee bit. Confidence is a wee bit lower just now, but when we get that win the confidence goes sky-high and we kick on from there.

“You see in spells, on Saturday against Queen’s Park and again tonight, we play some really good stuff. It’s just about trying to take our chances when they come – once we do that we should start winning games.”

Joining on loan from Ayr on transfer deadline day, Hastie is three games into his second spell at the Albert Bartlett, having initially joined on loan from Motherwell as a 19-year-old in 2017.

The former Scotland U21 cap is happy to be back in familiar surroundings.

“It’s good, I enjoyed my last spell here and I’m enjoying it again. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

“I used to play my 20s games here as well, so it feels like home!”

It’s home comforts again for Airdrie this weekend as in-form Arbroath visit North Lanarkshire. The Angus side sit third in the William Hill Championship table after an excellent first quarter, and last Saturday became the first side to beat table-toppers St Johnstone.

The Red Lichties came out on top when the sides met in August, a second-half goal from ex-Diamond Nikolay Todorov proving decisive.

Jake had yet to join the club at that point, but he’s aware of the threats posed by Colin Hamilton and David Gold’s men, and knows that Airdrie will have to roll up their sleeves to get a result.

“They’ve started well in the Championship this year. They’re a physical side, and they’re good at what they do. We need to match that on Saturday.

“Every game we go into, we should be trying to win it. That’s our aim, we work hard every day and we go out on a Saturday to win.”

Caretaker manager Aaron Taylor-Sinclair wants to see the Diamonds take control against the high-flying Red Lichties.

“We know what to expect from Arbroath – they’re always a hard-working, well organised side who make things difficult for you.

“They’ve got experienced players who understand the league and can punish you if you switch off. We’re expecting a physical battle, and we’ll need to be ready to compete in every area of the pitch.

“At the same time, we want to make sure the game’s played on our terms. We’ll look to impose our style – it’s about matching their fight but also showing our quality when we’ve got the ball.”

Lewis McGrattan is close to a return for the Diamonds, but it’s thought that Saturday’s match may come too soon and the midfielder will miss out alongside Cammy Bruce, Craig Ross, Alex King and Rhys Armstrong.

Defenders Dylan MacDonald and Aidan Wilson were forced off at half-time on Tuesday evening and will face late fitness tests, while co-operation loanee Scott Constable has returned to Dundee United for assessment after picking up a calf knock.

Ryan Lee is the man in the middle for Saturday’s match, and the referee is very familiar with Airdrie having already officiated three games involving the Diamonds this season – August defeats at Dunfermline and Arbroath, and September’s 0-0 home draw with Raith Rovers.

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