Airdrie’s under 17s had to settle for a home point on the opening day of the season, as they were left to rue missed opportunities against Alloa Athletic.

There were some fresh faces among many familiar ones, as new signings Lewis Lindsay, Cooper Reed and Stephen McKay were all handed starts in their first competitive game for the club. Frontman Darryl McMutrie missed out through suspension, and last season’s player of the year Sam Gallagher was also absent for personal reasons.

The Diamonds started on the front foot, with midfielder Stephen McKay curling an inviting delivery into the box just two minutes in, which was parried clear by the Alloa goalkeeper.

Airdrie’s sole trialist then sent a powerful effort over the bar, before Airdrie were called into defensive action for the first time on 7 minutes, with Marcus Wallace thwarting a charging run from a Wasps winger.

Connor Hay was heavily involved in the first half, sending in a couple of dangerous crosses around the ten-minute-mark which couldn’t be met by his Airdrie teammates. Seven minutes later it was Hay himself who had sight of goal, but he couldn’t connect cleanly with the ball after a good pass from Kaleb Donnachie.

The best chance of the game to that point then fell to striker Donnachie, who couldn’t replicate his fine pre-season form to turn the ball home, instead directing McKay’s through ball straight to the goalkeeper.

The same players linked up again on 28 minutes, as Stephen McKay glided through the middle of the pitch, before finding Donnachie in space once again. This time the Airdrie man almost found the far corner, but his shot brushed the outside of the post on its way behind.

New goalkeeper Lewis Lindsay was faced with his first challenge in a Diamond shirt after 38 minutes, showing good reflexes to deny the visitors after a slack pass in the defensive third. The young shot-stopper was needed again a minute later, this time parrying an angled shot from the edge of the box.

Connor Hay was the next Airdrie man to shoot off target, thumping a header past the post as the ball broke to him following a Stephen McKay corner.

Marcus Wallace’s game ended prematurely just two minutes before half time, as the midfielder went down off the ball with a muscle issue, forcing manager Scott Craig into shuffling the team – replacing Wallace with left back Val Taouss.

A certain goal of the season contender was then agonisingly denied by Alloa’s number 1 on the stroke of half time, as Kaleb Donnachie took a touch on the spin, sending the ball into the air where he met it with a fantastic acrobatic effort. The Wasps goalkeeper just managed to get across in time to turn the ball away from the top left corner.

The Diamonds started the second half with a bang, as Hay latched onto a through ball from Trialist 7, sending a low cross whizzing across goal where it was turned home by an Alloa defender on 48 minutes.

Airdrie should’ve had two goals in as many minutes, as Hay broke down the right-hand side yet again and sent the ball floating towards Bainbridge at the back post, but last season’s top goal scorer couldn’t find the net this time – his header bouncing just off target.

Alloa would make Bainbridge live to regret his miss, responding quickly with an equaliser 53 minutes in after a swift counter-attack and a lucky bounce saw the Wasps’ number 7 go through on Lindsay – who was left with no chance of saving the winger’s cannoned effort.

The flurry of second half action continued just a couple of minutes later, as substitute Taouss found some space on the left side of the box, but again the woodwork denied the Diamonds a goal.

Two quickfire bookings were shown to the visitors, one for a late challenge on Diamonds defender Ruddy, and another for delaying the restart as Hay looked to take a throw in quickly.

Kaleb Donnachie’s final involvement in the game was a wild effort, the Airdrie frontman curling well over the bar on the hour mark after stepping onto a loose ball in the box. The Airdrie striker was then replaced by Daniel Suny.

Head coach Scott Craig utilised his bench more after 70 minutes, freshening things up by bringing on midfielders Cole Lyon and Joshua O’Brien – with Trialist 7 and Guy Bainbridge the players replaced.

It was the visitors who were pushing for a goal heading into the final quarter of an hour, as Lindsay was called into action again, producing a smart stop to parry a bouncing effort out for a corner.

The Wasps were then awarded a spot kick, as substitute O’Brien took a slack touch after an Airdrie corner was cleared. The away sides pounced on their opportunity to get the ball forward, storming through on Lindsay who managed to save initially, but the ball fell to a visiting forward who was bundled over in the box by Taouss. Lindsay was sent the wrong way from 12 yards, and Alloa took the lead with 9 minutes to go.

However, the twists were not yet finished. Connor Hay yet again the architect for Airdrie as he anticipated McKay’s dinked cross, bringing the ball down and lashing past the Alloa goalkeeper to make it 2-2 on 85 minutes.

Both sides had chances to win the game in the dying moments, but goal scorer Connor Hay came closest as he cut inside on his left foot this time, and struck the ball into the gloves of the Wasps’ number 1.

After three minutes of stoppage time, the referee blew the full-time whistle - The spoils shared between familiar foes at the Albert Bartlett Stadium.

The Diamonds will have to move on quickly, with a tough away fixture against Ayr United on Friday to come.