It was delight on opening night for Airdrie’s under 19s as they put the Honest Men to the sword with a ruthless display in Ayrshire.

Diamonds goalkeeper Liam Prunty started his first competitive academy match for over a year, meanwhile first-team midfielders Dylan Williams, Cole Williams and Adam Aird all featured from the start having made several appearances for the senior team in pre-season.

It was the hosts who started quickly, a flurry of attacks in the opening minutes gave Airdrie a scare early on as Liam Prunty was called into action after the woodwork denied an Ayr forward initially.

Airdrie launched a couple of attacks of their own on 8 minutes, but good defending thwarted Euan Hamilton as he tried to make room for a shot – before his attempted cut-back to fellow attacker Adam Smith was also cut out.

Adam Smith managed to find some space in behind, latching onto a throw in from his brother Jack, however the Diamonds striker saw his strike deflected for an Airdrie corner 11 minutes in.

It was the Williams twins who drew first blood – 14 minutes in, last season’s star man Dylan found enough space in the middle of the park to get his head up and spot a surging run forward from his brother Cole, who calmly prodded the ball beyond the Ayr goalkeeper for his first goal of the night.

Dylan Williams then came close to providing yet again just two minutes later, when he picked out Adam Smith in acres of space in the face of the goal, but the frontman didn’t get a clean connection and couldn’t turn the ball home.

Liam Prunty then came to Airdrie’s rescue twice, safely holding a header at the back post in the 19th minute, before he gathered once again with an Ayr striker bearing down on goal 4 minutes later.

The Diamonds doubled their advantage 24 minutes in – Dylan Williams the provider again as he played a tidy one-two with Jamie White which saw the Airdrie captain go through on the goalkeeper, and he kept his cool with a stunning chipped finish.

33 minutes in, the Honest Men went down to ten as their number 9 picked up two bookings in a minute; the first for arguing with the referee after he didn’t award them a free kick, before he then dangled his leg in the path of Liam Prunty who was looking to set Adam Smith free with a long pass.

Adam Smith continued causing the Ayrshire side problems 40 minutes in, as he weaved his way in between a hoard of defenders, forcing a free kick on the left-hand side of the box which was eventually cleared.

Airdrie came very close to a third goal in the 42nd minute, Euan Hamilton denied by a last-ditch goalkeeper saved initially before the ball fell to Adam Smith, who lashed goalwards but saw the ball come off a defender on the goal-line.

Just moments later vice-captain Mason Chisholm put a header wide with the goal at his mercy, following a superb delivery by Dylan Williams.

There was a lengthy stoppage in play when the Ayr skipper went down awkwardly after an attempted challenge – he was eventually carried off the field for further treatment.

In the 7th minute of stoppage time, Airdrie managed the sought-after third goal. Jamie White played a long ball over the top for Adam Smith, who used his raw pace to get beyond his full-back – he then cut the ball back into the six-yard-box where it was unintentionally turned home by a swiping defensive foot.

The Diamonds started the second half how they ended the first, this time left-back Szymon Walczak headed over from a tight angle after good play to pick him out at the back post.

Mason Chisholm put in some crucial defending on 49 minutes, bravely diving in the way of a shot as the home side looked to respond with a goal of their own.

Airdrie would kill any glimmers of hope the home side had retained after 52 minutes. Cole Williams made another darting run from midfield into the box, spotted by skipper Jamie White, and this time the Diamonds midfielder brought the ball down superbly before finding the net with a thumping volley for his second of the evening.

Growing in confidence, Cole Williams tried his luck from 30 yards, however this time his effort was off target with the goalkeeper scrambling.

Airdrie made their first change of the match in the 57th minute, as forwards Euan Hamilton and Adam Smith were replaced by Michael McQueen and Divine Iserhienrhien.

Iserhienrhien looked to make an instant impact on 59 minutes, racing beyond the Ayr defence where he was picked out by Dylan Williams, however the flag went up for offside before the Airdrie forward could unleash a shot.

The home side then launched a rare attack on 64 minutes, crossing into the box where Prunty and Chisholm both managed to scramble clear as the ball dropped just yards from Airdrie’s goal.

The Diamonds continued their hot-streak just a minute later, this time Dylan Williams applying the finish after a stramash in the box saw the ball drop to his feet inside the box.

The Diamonds made a triple-substitution in the 67th minute – Jack Smith, Deryn McConnell and Jamie White those replaced, allowing for Robbi O’Brien, Max Heggie and Airdrie’s sole trialist to get some minutes.

Dylan Williams looked to grab a second goal of his own with a left-footed effort, however this time his strike was well off target.

On 68 minutes, the Williams twins linked up for the second time after Airdrie won the ball high up the field. Dylan Williams yet again the provider as he squared to Cole, who calmly passed the ball into the bottom corner for his first Airdrie hat-trick.

The Diamonds weren’t finished yet, almost grabbing a seventh goal in the 71st minute when Dylan Williams skipped past a defender and curled one towards the far corner, but a strong hand from the Ayr goalkeeper denied the midfielder another goal.

Substitute Max Heggie was called into action a minute later, when he put in a fantastic slide tackle as the hosts looked to grab a consolation goal.

Dylan Williams should’ve doubled his tally on 73 minutes, when Divine Iserhienrhien hit the byline and sent a great cross into the six-yard-box, but the Diamonds midfielder somehow managed to put the ball over the bar on the stretch.

Hat-trick hero Cole Williams was forced off the park with 13 minutes to go, going down with a minor injury. Alan Gow had used his five substitutions, so in was ten against ten for the rest of the match.

The game had started to calm down heading into the final ten minutes, but the hosts kept pushing for a goal back – Liam Prunty first to the ball as an Ayr attacker tried to get on the end of a through ball on 84 minutes.

On the cusp of full-time, the Honest Men wiped out Airdrie’s clean sheet. A miscommunication in defence left a home forward in yards of space and well onside, before he calmly slotted past Prunty with the last kick of the game.

With no game scheduled for next week, the Diamonds will look to arrange a friendly, but the competitive action will return for the under 19s in two weeks’ time against a familiar opponent in Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic.