Airdrie welcome Annan Athletic for the season’s first competitive match at the Albert Bartlett Stadium, and Ewan Simpson expects the Diamonds to press their home advantage.

Premier Sports Cup defeats to Dundee and Clyde mean that Airdrie are extremely unlikely to proceed to the knockout stages, while Wille Gibson’s side are in a similar position after losing to Ross County and Dundee.

Speaking after Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Bully Wee, Simpson says the Diamonds’ wastefulness in front of goal cost them.

“I feel like we could have taken our chances better. I think we had enough chances, especially in the first half, to put the game to bed.

“That’s how the game goes, if we don’t take our chances they grow in confidence and they start coming into the game.”

Although the outcome at New Douglas Park was undoubtedly disappointing, midfielder Simpson points out that the squad is still in its infancy and will improve game by game.

“The boys will be back for Saturday. We’ll get back on the training pitch and work on a few things, and I’m sure we’ll show more aggression and more willingness in our first home game.

“It’s still the first couple of games for us. We had a good pre-season and the fitness is there, but that improves even more with matches, and we’ll start to be more dominant in the back end of games.”

As one of twelve new faces in the playing squad this season, former Hearts and Aston Villa youngster Simpson has plenty of settling in to do – but says that the squad are already forging strong bonds which will pay off on the park.

“The relationships are growing really well. I feel like the boys are really bonding, over the last couple of games especially.

“We’ve got to keep growing that togetherness and work as a team to keep making chances. If we work hard at that, we will turn it into wins.”

Building momentum may be vital ahead of the league season kicking off next month, but having already slipped to defeat against a League 2 side, Airdrie will be wary of the threat that Annan will post on Saturday.

Ewan says both sides have a point to prove ahead of Saturday’s match.

“They’ll be coming out fast, they’ve had two defeats as well and like us, they’ll be desperate to get points on the board. We’ll be ready for that.

“We’ll be ready for whatever Annan bring, and we’ll be ready to work hard for a home win.”

Also speaking after the Clyde match, head coach John Rankin expects to face a well-organised Galabankies side on Saturday.

“At this stage in the season it’s about building positivity. Annan are a lot more settled than we are considering the players that we’ve had to bring in, so I know it’ll be a tough game.

“I know Willie sets his sides up really well, it’ll be a tough game on Saturday. They’re all difficult at this stage of the season, because every team is trying to find its feet in different ways.”

Defender Evan Easton and striker Liam McLeish are both likely to miss out through illness, while midfielder Zac Butterworth and striker Dapo Mebude are sidelined following muscle injuries sustained against Clyde.

Midfielder Cole McKinnon (ankle) remains out, but defenders Dylan MacDonald and Adam Devine have both resumed training, with the latter in particular closing in on a return.

Referee Matthew MacDermid was in charge of two matches featuring Airdrie last season – August’s home draw with Queen’s Park, and the Scottish Cup penalty shootout win over Arbroath in January.

Match tickets are available using the link below, and our DiamondsTV video and audio streams are available worldwide on a pay-per-view basis.

Please be aware that behaviour deemed unacceptable will result in ejection from the stadium. Issues arising during the match can be reported anonymously - see the posters around the stadium for more information. Our unacceptable conduct policy can be viewed using the link below.