Matty Yates is ready for a tough test as League 1 favourites Ross County visit for Saturday’s final Premier Sports Cup Group D match, but the striker is hopeful that the Diamonds can build on last weekend’s victory.

With the Dingwall side topping the group and Airdrie unable to progress, the Diamonds will be looking to build their momentum after a comfortable 3-0 victory against Annan Athletic.

Yates put in an energetic performance upfront against the Galabankies, and says spirits are high after the opening victory at the Albert Bartlett.

“It’s been good, getting that first win in the group was obviously the most important thing – especially with a clean sheet as well, that helps a lot.

“The mood’s been good, and we’re looking forward to Saturday.”

Defeats to Dundee and Clyde preceded last Saturday’s win, and head coach John Rankin was keen to try out a few new things as he continues to shape his squad following his summer appointment.

Goals from Kian Taylor, AJ Bridge and Henry James proved that the approach paid dividends, according to Yates.

“It’s a new group, there’s a lot of players came in and a lot of players went, so we’re just trying to gel things together and make things work.

“We played a different formation than we usually do on Saturday, and it kinda worked in the second half – but yeah, we’re just getting used to each other and I think in time that'll come.”

Stuart Kettlewell’s Ross County joined Airdrie in dropping to League 1 at the end of a torrid Championship campaign, although the Staggies relegation was considerably more surprising given their status as early-season title favourites.

The Highlanders are off to a strong start with two wins and a draw in the Premier Sports Cup, and are once again considered bookies favourites for the league crown.

Yates appreciates their quality, but wants the Diamonds to concentrate on their own performance.

“We just want to go and hopefully get another victory. We know what we need to do.

“We know what they’re going to be like – they’re going to be physical and strong, they’re going to want to play football.

“We’ve just got to focus on ourselves and hopefully we can get another win.”

And with one win already under the belt, Matty wants the Albert Bartlett Stadium to become a fortress as he and his team-mates exploit their home advantage.

“Teams will come here, and hopefully we can blow them away in the first five or ten minutes. If not, we’ve got the qualities in the team that we can go and hurt teams throughout the game.

“It's another home game, and most teams will come thinking it’ll be hard for them. We’re got a young squad, a fit squad, and we'll just go after teams as soon as the whistle goes.”

Head coach John Rankin is keen to use the match as a barometer ahead of next week’s League 1 kick-off.

“Obviously County are in the same league as us, they’ve played three games as well as us, so it’s a great gauge to see where we are – how far we’ve come, how far we need to go, and where we are at this stage of the season.

“It’ll be a difficult game, Stuart’s obviously been there for a period of time now and he’s kept some of the squad together, so it’s going to be a tough game.”

The Diamonds boss confirmed that Cole McKinnon, Zac Butterworth and Dapo Mebude will continue to miss out, while Dylan MacDonald and Liam McLeish have resumed full training. Divine Iserhienrhien missed training during the week due to illness, and will continue to be assessed.

Referee Abbie Hendry is in charge of her first match featuring Airdrieonians.

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.