Lewis McGrattan wants to make it two cup wins in a week as Airdrie prepare to take on St Mirren in Friday night’s televised Scottish Cup fifth-round tie.

The midfielder was on target as the Diamonds eventually saw off Arbroath at Gayfield in the KDM Evolution Trophy quarter-final on Tuesday – his second successive goal after coming off the bench to net the second in Saturday’s 2-0 away win over Dunfermline Athletic.

Just as in the Scottish Cup meeting between the sides, Airdrie needed penalties to get past a dogged Arbroath side, with McGrattan netting once again from the spot.

Speaking after the match, the 25-year-old was pleased to progress on a blustery Angus evening.

“We knew coming here it was never going to be pretty, especially with the conditions, but all that matters is we’re in the semi-final and we’re delighted with that victory.

“It was two good goals and there was a couple of other moments of quality, but overall it was just a really scrappy game – but nobody cares now, we’re through so that’s all that matters.”

Having grabbed his seventh goal of the season at Gayfield, McGrattan hopes to keep up his form in front of goal as striker Euan Henderson continues to lead the Diamonds scoring charts.

“That’s something I’d like to add more of, so to get two in two, I’m delighted with that.

“We can’t just rely on Hendo – obviously he’s been brilliant, I think that’s 17 now – but myself, Mocks, the other forward players, we all need to try to chip in. If we can do that it’ll stand us in good stead.”

As the matches continue to come thick and fast, attention now turns to Friday’s Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup tie against Stephen Robinson’s St Mirren.

The Buddies were also in action on Tuesday evening, registering an impressive league win against Premiership table-toppers Hearts.

McGrattan says Tuesday’s respective results have no bearing on the approach to Friday’s fixture.

“Obviously it’s a big cup tie, so we’ll recover fine for that. St Mirren played as well tonight, so there are no excuses on that end.

“We can’t wait for it, to be fair, and hopefully we’ll get another positive result.

“We know that, even if they hadn’t won tonight, they’re still a good side so it doesn’t really change much. They’ll just come in with a wee bit more confidence, but as we’ve won the last two as well, so will we!”

The Paisley side last visited the Albert Bartlett for a pre-season friendly in July, with Mikael Mandron netting either side of half-time to hand the Buddies a 2-0 win.

That scoreline was reversed the last time the sides met in competitive action, Justin Devenny and Kyan Gunn grabbing the goals in a Premier Sports Cup tie in 2022.

And with the BBC cameras in attendance for Friday night’s meeting, the eyes of football fans across the nation will be fixed on the fifth-round opener.

Lewis says that adds even more incentive for the Diamonds to take a top-flight scalp.

“It’s a big occasion – we’ll be really looking forward to it, especially with it being on TV. Hopefully we can give a good account of ourselves and get a good result.

“These are the games you want to play in, against Premiership opposition. It’ll be a tough test, but we can’t wait for it!”

Diamonds head coach Aaron Taylor-Sinclair is looking forward to pitting his wits against a familiar face.

“We’re looking forward to the game. I said after the Ross County disappointment that every single time this season we’ve bounced back and had a reaction – and now we have, two wins and we’ll just keep that momentum going.

“Stephen Robinson is a manager I played under at Motherwell, so I know how good a coach he is and how well he coaches the team. It’ll be a difficult task but it’s one we’re looking forward to.

“We’ve got to just go and try to rectify our home form, because we’ve been good away. We’re under no illusions how hard the game’s going to be. The last three seasons they’ve been top six, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The Diamonds boss doesn’t expect any changes to his squad situation, with captain Aidan Wilson joining Rhys Armstrong, Alex King and Aaron Reid on the sidelines.

Scott Constable will be given every chance to recover after being withdrawn from Tuesday’s match with a dead leg.

Referee Kevin Clancy takes charge of a match involving Airdrie for the first time this season.

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