Dapo Mebude scored his first Airdrie goal in midweek, and now has Alloa Athletic in his sights as he looks to shoot the Diamonds up the table.

A 1-0 KDM Evolution Trophy victory over St Mirren B arrested a five-match winless run which had seen Airdrie drop to the foot of the League 1 table, with Mebude’s 77th-minute strike proving to be the winner against a talented young Buddies side.

Speaking after the match, the Diamonds forward was hopeful that the result would kick-off a more positive streak.

“I think it was important just to get a win. Obviously the performances have been a bit up and down recently, so we just wanted to get a win and start breathing confidence into the team.

“As a forward player you just want to get some goals, so it was nice to get my first one and hopefully I can build on that.”

With another quick turnaround in a congested early-season fixture list, Airdrie are back in League 1 action against Alloa on Saturday.

Mebude says there’s more to come from the Diamonds squad as they look to turn around a disappointing start to the campaign.

“I think it’s always good to have games, you just want to keep trying to get wins on the board. We got a win tonight and we need to try to build on that, so every game’s a positive.

“We all believe in one another, it’s just trying to show that on a Saturday. We know each other’s ability – if we can get that onto the pitch on a Saturday it’ll be good for everyone.

“If we can get some wins on the board and start climbing the table, I think that’s what matters. We want to challenge at the top end of the table, so that would be important for us.”

And Mebude himself will be looking to add to his first competitive Airdrie goal after a stop-start beginning to his Diamonds career.

Injuries sustained against Clyde and Dumbarton have seen the former Rangers youngster sidelined, but he remains philosophical as he returns to full fitness – and hopefully a spell of goalscoring form.

“It’s been very frustrating, because in the last two seasons I don’t think I’ve had consistency in a run of games. I had that at the start and then I started picking up injuries, which is quite unusual for myself.

“Everything happens for a reason, so I just need to trust in the process and trust in myself. Hopefully I can stay injury-free now and get a good run of games.”

Not much remains of the Airdrie squad which lost to Alloa in last season’s play-off semi-final, but the current crop of players have their own reasons to fight for three points.

A 3-1 aggregate win was enough to relegate the Diamonds to League 1 – where Andy Graham’s side ultimately remained after losing to Stenhousemuir in the final.

While Airdrie have seen a significant overhaul of staff and players over the summer, Alloa have only made minor changes to the side which finished fourth last season.

Nonetheless, Dapo believes that Airdrie have the ability to take the match to the Wasps.

“I think every league game is quite difficult, so we’ll just be looking to impose ourselves on the game and try to get three points this week.

“Football is up and down, sometimes not everything goes for you but you just need to keep reacting, keep a level head in the right moments and try to stay focussed. If we can do that I think we’ll be okay.”

Head coach John Rankin agrees that his squad – who were boosted by the addition of midfielder Connor Smith this week – can come out on top of another difficult match if they perform to the best of their abilities.

“You look at the results last season, Alloa came here when we were a Championship club and turned us over.

“We need to be on top of our game to go and get anything from it. They’ve strengthened throughout the summer, they’ve brought in good players.

“We’re looking at a tough game on Saturday – it’s going to be a huge challenge, but one that we’re capable of.”

Former Alloa loanees Callum Burnside and Josh Gentles return to the squad after missing Tuesday’s cup-tie, while Dylan MacDonald and Zac Butterworth both resumed training in midweek. Robbie Mahon continues to miss out with a calf knock.

Referee Alistair Grieve was last in charge of an Airdrie match in December 2025, overseeing a 1-1 draw at Arbroath.

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.

The match is also available to domestic viewers through the SPFL Player – see spflplayer.com for full details.

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.