Kian Taylor knows that Cove Rangers will give their all to start the League 1 season with a home win, but the midfielder insists the Diamonds are ready for the challenge.

With the appointment of a new management team, a busy summer transfer window, pre-season and the Premier Sports Cup all done and dusted, the nitty gritty of the William Hill League 1 campaign gets underway at Balmoral Stadium on Saturday.

As Airdrie aim to bounce back to the Championship at the first attempt, summer signing Taylor says that this is what everything has been geared towards.

“It’s the real stuff, isn't it? It’s what we look forward to all through the off-season. When you come back in the league season’s what it’s all about, so we’re looking forward to it.

“You can see in the changing room and in training every day, the lads are getting a lot closer, there’s relationships being built all over now, so it’s about showing it on the pitch.

“You can see it coming together in training, so hopefully Saturday’s the start of that.”

Englishman Taylor crossed the border last season when he joined Greenock Morton from hometown team Preston North End, but an injury-blighted season meant he had little opportunity to make an impact at Cappielow.

Joining the Diamonds after a successful trial period, a pre-season goal at Ayr was followed by the real thing as the 21-year-old opened the scoring in the 3-0 Premier Sports win over Annan Athletic.

Taylor confirms what his performances demonstrate – that he is settling in well at the Albert Bartlett.

“It’s been good, all the lads have been good. Getting to play in the cup, which I’ve not done for a long time in terms of playing football – I struggled last year with some injuries – but it’s been nice to get back into it.

“You want to feel the best you can going into the league season, and then hopefully just stay fit for the full 36 games, and try to contribute as much as you can to help the team.”

Paul Hartley’s Cove Rangers are Airdrie’s opponents for Saturday’s League 1 curtain raiser, and while the Aberdonians may not be a team that Taylor is overly familiar with, he knows exactly what to expect at the Balmoral Stadium.

“They’ll make it as difficult as they can for us. You know, it’s their first home game and every team at home wants to make it a difficult place for anyone to come – we want to do the same here.

“So they’ll be right out the traps at us, and we’ve just got just to be prepared for that and get right back at them and take control of the game, hopefully.”

And with a pivotal midfield role, Kian will be hoping to stamp his influence on the match – and aiming to add to his goal tally as an important part of the side’s attack.

“I am attacking-minded, but I’m not naturally an attacking player. I can do a lot of different positions – I grew up as a holding midfielder.

“It’s only recently that I’ve been going forward a lot more, but I’ve always seemed to add goals to my game so that’s one thing that I do want to contribute to this season. Hopefully get a full season behind me and see what we can do.”

Diamonds head coach John Rankin has done his homework on Cove, and expects the Toonsers to provide stiff opposition.

“We’ve seen a wee bit of Cove, I was actually at their game last Tuesday night. They’ll be a tough opponent.

“They’ve got a lot of physicality within their side, they’ve got a lot of experience within their side as well, so we know it’s going to be difficult. Paul Hartley’s sides are always set up really well, difficult to play against with an attacking threat, and a lot of his teams have been successful over the years.

“We’re going there knowing it’s going to be a challenge, and the players will be up for it. We need to meet the physical demands that they have, and be ready to take our game as well.”

Striker Dapo Mebude has resumed training and hopes to be involved in Saturday’s squad, but defender Mason Chisholm and midfielders Cole McKinnon and Zac Butterworth continue to miss out.

Referee Daniel Graves is the man in the middle for the season opener.

Match tickets are available using the link below, and will be on sale at the ground until kick-off – visit the ticket window at the club shop to purchase. Our DiamondsTV video (subscribers outwith the UK and Ireland) and audio (pay-per-match worldwide) streams are also available.