A single goal that took Liam Watt to the top of the Diamonds goalscoring charts was enough to provide Airdrieonians with their first win in four matches.

Surprisingly, it was only a third clean sheet of the season for goalkeeper Neil Parry who was assured in all his handling throughout the match.

Brechin City travelled to Airdrie looking to avenge the home defeat they suffered by the Diamonds. It may have been just a couple of months since the last time the clubs faced each other but very quickly there were a significant number of changes with both Airdrieonians and City starting six different players apiece to the Glebe Park clash.

In the first half, Airdrieonians were unable to thread that telling pass through a hard working Brechin defence.

After five minutes Nicolas Šumský just overhit his pass to Watt inside the box and there was no standing on ceremony with the ball being booted upfield.

Two minutes later a challenge on Kevin McBride saw the midfielder go down inside the penalty area, with all claims wave aside.

Robert Thomson fired a 20-yard shot wide to the rIght of Parry’s goal on 11 minutes in Brechin’s first venture into opposition territory.

Brechin keeper Graeme Smith stood in the centre of his goal and gathered George Hunter’s 20-yard shot straight at him on the quarter of an hour mark.

But it was in 19 minutes that the closest attempt on either goal arrived and it was from a Willie Dyer corner that struck the front post of the Airdrie goal frame before the ball was cleared upfield.

With 26 minutes played Šumský was again close to playing a decisive ball through to Taylor Morgan, but Ross Perry had his troops well marshalled and he cleared the ball away for another corner that provided nothing.

On the half hour mark Alan Lithgow rose for an aerial challenge in the middle of the park, but Dene Shields' barge went unpunished and he raced to the 18-yard line before firing wide of the goal.

A minute later Parry comfortably took Andy Jackson’s 20-yard shot at the centre of the goal.

Šumský and Morgan combined in 32 minutes, the big Englishman blasting the ball high over Smith’s goal from an angle.

Parry was again equal to Molloy’s low drive from 30 yards out in 33 minutes, while five minutes from the break Morgan collected a long ball forward and picked a pass to Watt, who curled the ball wide of the target.

Two minutes after the restart the same players combined to give Airdrie the breakthrough.

A foul by Dyer on Chris O’Neil saw a free kick awarded. A delivery into the box led to a headed clearance to the right of Smith’s goal. Morgan chased the ball and collected before it went out for a corner, then passed to Watt. The midfielder cut inside before firing the ball into the net beyond Smith, with the aid of a deflection.

Eight minutes later Hunter and Morgan linked well but his shot was wide to the left of the goal.

McBride had a superb effort on goal in 63 minutes. Good play by O’Neil down the left saw a headed clearance take the ball to the angle of the box and the midfielder’s instant volley was netbound until Smith stretched out to push the ball away for a corner.

Sean Crighton rose well above everyone two minutes later to connect with Šumský’s corner. The ex-Morton stopper made great contact but headed over the crossbar.

Brechin piled players forward but every time a high ball was thrown in Parry made a clean catch and any long range efforts were easily caught.

In stoppage time Perry's powerful low 25-yard effort saw Parry dive to his left to smother the ball.

Another battling win to lift the Diamonds up to third place in the table.

John O'Brien at New Broomfield.

Photographs © Robert Dalzell. Click to view full-size.