Sean McGinty assisted the winning goal as Airdrie won at Alloa, and the defender now has Greenock Morton in his sights as the Diamonds hit the road again.

Experienced campaigner McGinty may have seen it all across his 14-year senior career, but is unlikely to have faced many evenings as dreich as Tuesday, when goals from Cammy Cooper, Tate Xavier-Jones, and Dylan MacDonald handed the Diamonds a 3-2 KDM Evolution Trophy win over Andy Graham’s side – despite Storm Bram battering the Indodrill Stadium.

Airdrie’s reward for the win is a January home tie against Montrose or The Spartans in the last 16. Speaking after the match, McGinty was happy to be in the draw after letting a good lead slip.

“We’re delighted to get through. I think we started pretty well, we go 2-0 ahead and then it gets a little bit sloppy and we concede two pretty poor goals.

“We’re disappointed with that, but I thought second half we came out and we did our jobs. Thankfully we got the goal and we’re into the next round, so we’re really pleased with that.”

With the match poised at two-apiece and heading toward the final ten minutes, McGinty ventured forward to tee up MacDonald’s winner with a slide rule pass.

“Obviously Dyl’s just pulled out wide, and I’ve heard his shout and just played it at the right time with the right weight.

“I’m delighted for Dylan, he gets the winner and we’re into the next round. Buzzing!”

Airdrie turn their attention back to William Hill Championship business on Saturday, and it’s a trip to Inverclyde to face managerless Morton.

Technical Head Coach Billy Davies is in temporary charge at Cappielow following the departure of Dougie Imrie to Raith Rovers last month.

The sides met at The Albert Bartlett Stadium in October with Imrie and Danny Lennon in the dugouts, and it was Morton who came out on top, Jackson Longridge netting the decider after Tomi Adeloye and Euan Henderson had exchanged goals.

McGinty doesn’t expect much of a departure from Morton’s usual style of play as Davies goes head-to-head with Aaron Taylor-Sinclair this time round.

“They’ve obviously had a change of manager, but I’m sure they’ll still be pretty similar. They’re a good side.

“They’re sitting mid-table at the moment so it’s going to be a tough game – going to Cappielow, you know what it’s like, it’s going to be a tough one.

“We need to go home, rest up, and come in on Thursday and prepare properly, and let’s keep this run going. That’s three in a row, so let’s try to get four at the weekend. We’re looking forward to it.”

And although the Greenock men are currently seven points clear of Airdrie in sixth place, Sean insists the Diamonds should be looking to close the gap now that they are off the bottom of the pile.

“Just forget about what’s behind you – let’s look up the table and try to catch Raith and Morton. If we can get a win on Saturday it’ll put us in good stead leading into the new year.

“We’re undefeated in December, let’s keep that run going and see where it takes us.”

Caretaker manager Aaron Taylor-Sinclair knows what to expect when he takes his side west.

“It’s always a tough game going down there. They’ve had a few tweaks in their system since the new manager has come in, so we’ll just have to be ready for that when it comes.

“It’s about trying to keep this run going. We’ll be facing a different team come Saturday, so we’re looking forward to it.”

The Diamonds interim boss hopes to have ex-Ton defender Lewis Strapp and midfielder Rhys Armstrong back in contention after recent injuries, while captain Aidan Wilson and midfielder Liam McStravick will both be hoping to be available following illness.

Midfielder Alex King remains sidelined, as does striker Aaron Reid who awaits confirmation on the severity of a knee injury sustained last weekend.

Referee Chris Graham’s last match involving Airdrie was last season’s 2-1 Premier Sports Cup defeat at Aberdeen.

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.

There will be no cash gate on the day, tickets are available by advance online sales only. Supporters should enter via the Wee Dublin End turnstiles, and will be seated in the main stand. The refreshment van for away supporters operates on a cash-only basis.

Flags will only be permitted in the stand with appropriate fire certification, otherwise will be displayed at the Wee Dublin End fence.

Disabled supporter access is via the main stand.

Supporters buses should park in Ratho Street.