Euan Henderson says Airdrie can’t afford to be complacent when his old side Hamilton Academical come calling on Scottish Cup duty this weekend.

Following the South Lanarkshire side’s relegation to League 1 last season, striker Henderson was one of several players to switch New Douglas Park for The Albert Bartlett Stadium – and it has proved a bountiful move for the Diamonds with the 25-year-old currently topping the club’s scoring charts.

With ten goals in 20 appearances, Henderson was disappointed not to get on the scoresheet last weekend as Airdrie went down 1-0 to Ayr United despite dominating possession.

“I think overall, as a team, we felt we played well. Good enough to win the game. They go down to ten men and they actually defended very well. Nothing really fell for us.

“The main thing for us is we’re still playing the right way, playing the way we want to play. We’re getting more possession, more shots on target – we look more threatening. All the things are pointing in the right direction, we just couldn’t get the result at the weekend.”

A break from league duty beckons now for the Diamonds, who welcome Accies as they make the short journey from their new base at Broadwood Stadium for Saturday’s Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup third round tie.

John Rankin’s side managed to retain a strong core of players after being relegated in part thanks to a 15-point deduction for various rule breaches, and Henderson is under no illusions as to how difficult progression will be.

“It could be a hard one. They’re a good team in a lower league – it could be seen as a bit of a banana skin.

“I know quite a few of the boys, and I know they’re good players, so it should be a tough game to be honest. I know the situation that the club’s in at the moment, but I’m sure they’ll be wanting to win just as much as we are.

“If we keep playing the same way, I certainly don’t have any doubts we’ll put in a good performance at the weekend.”

And having spent two seasons at Accies following a six-year spell at Heart of Midlothian, Henderson is one of a handful of Airdrie players with ‘inside information’ on our Lanarkshire rivals.

“They’ll run hard, they’ll try very hard to put us off our play and be very aggressive with us. At the same time they’ve got quality, they can hurt us.

“It’s not just me, there’s a few other boys that were there last year. We’ll be knowing what to expect and what qualities their best players have. I’m sure we’ll be passing on that information to the rest of the team!”

As for Euan’s own form, the pacy forward is relishing the chance to play as part of a front two – and reaping the rewards, as his goal tally attests.

“I feel good. I feel I’m in a good place in my head as well as my game. I feel like I know when to run, when not to run – a lot of things are coming to me more naturally and I’m just playing my game.

“That’s not just down to myself, it’s down to the players and the coaches putting me in positions where I feel most comfortable to get the most out of me.

“I’m pretty happy with how it’s going. I just take every game as it comes, just try to do my best every day and see what happens – you never know what can happen in football.”

Diamonds caretaker manager Aaron Taylor-Sinclair is also aware of the threat that Hamilton pose, but says the possibility of a plum draw is a good incentive for his squad.

“We’ve watched a few of Hamilton’s games, they’re going well in the league so far so it’ll be another tough test for us.

“They’ve got a lot of Championship players capable of still playing at this level, so we’ll have to be on our A-game to match that.

“It’s a good opportunity – we’ve been emphasising the point that you never know what happens after you get through this round. All the bigger teams come in, so it’s a chance to maybe go and play one of the big boys.”

The interim boss was pleased to report good progress on the injury front, with midfielder Dean McMaster showing no ill effects after being substituted with a groin problem last weekend.

Striker Aaron Reid should be available for selection after recovering from an ankle knock, while defender Cammy Bruce, and midfielders Adam Aird and Alex King, have also stepped up their involvement in training and are considered very close to a return.

Rhys Armstrong is likely to spend another week or so on the sidelines with an ankle injury, but Jake Hastie returns to the squad after being unavailable to play against Ayr United.

Referee Duncan Nicolson has been involved in one match featuring Airdrie this season – the 1-1 home draw against Partick Thistle earlier this month.

Supporters are reminded that Saturday’s match is played to a finish, meaning extra-time and penalty kicks may be required.

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