Chris Mochrie fired Airdrie to victory over Partick Thistle with a double which included a last-minute winner as the Diamonds continue to gain ground on the sides above them.

On a sunny but cold day at The Albert Bartlett Stadium, manager Rhys McCabe made two changes to the Airdrie side which decimated Queen’s Park on Wednesday, returning to the side in place of Gavin Gallagher while Mochrie came in for the unavailable Ricco Diack.

The Diamonds player-manager was back on free-kick duty following Diack’s midweek stunner, and almost caught the visiting defence off guard with a wicked angled effort after just four minutes, but Lewis Budinauckas punched clear.

Brian Graham headed over from a Josh Reid cross on seven minutes, with Liam McStravick going close with a curling effort five minutes later.

The ball broke kindly for Reid in the fourteenth minute, but the full-pack skewed his strike wide.

McStravick leapt to win an unlikely 18th-minute header, but Budinauckas got everything behind it.

There was a moment of controversy two minutes later, Robbie Crawford pushing McCabe into Cade Melrose as the three chased a ball down the channel. With both Airdrie players grounded, a last-ditch Aidan Wilson tackle averted the danger with both teams screaming at referee Greg Soutar for a foul which was given to neither.

Budinauckas got to another McCabe free-kick midway through the first half, saving from Alex Bannon shortly after.

A 33rd-minute Logan Chalmers effort sailed over the top, with Melrose comfortably dealing with a close-range Graham header four minutes before the break.

A late goal-line scramble saw the ball eventually hacked out of the Thistle box, and after a square header from Mason Hancock’s cross had been cleared, the visitors broke and drew a near-post save from Melrose.

Chalmers had a good chance early in the second half, but Melrose held the strike and a minute later the home side had the lead.

Persistent play from Hancock saw him wriggle free of former team-mate Kanayo Megwa and pick out McStravick, who cut back when he looked set to shoot, picking out Adam Frizzell who squared for Mochrie. Just as he had done on Wednesday night, the midfielder finished off a nice move with an emphatic strike.

Melrose denied Chalmers again as the visitors looked for a quick response, and McStravick was crowded out on 54 minutes after a good run and cross from Dylan MacDonald.

Mochrie sent a 60th-minute effort inches past the post after more nice interplay between Hancock and McStravick.

There was no way past Melrose eight minutes later as ex-Diamond Megwa tried his luck at the near post, and the Hibs loanee saw a good pass denied by a Bannon two minutes later.

Lewis McGrattan drew another good save from Budinauckas as the Diamonds searched for a second on 72 minutes, and a storming run from Bannon then came to nothing.

Hancock was there to mop up after a 76th-minute Bannon slip almost proved costly, and four minutes later the sizeable away support were screaming for a penalty after an attempted cross had struck MacDonald’s arm from close range, but the referee was unimpressed.

With seven minutes remaining former Airdrie loanee Stanway burst the Diamonds’ bubble, coming off the bench to bag the equaliser with a superb header after a setpiece had been half-cleared.

Airdrie were determined not to settle for a draw, and Wilson’s 85th-minute thunderbolt drew a top class fingertip save from Budinauckas.

As the game moved into the final minute of regulation time Melrose made another good save of his own, with Bannon blocking the follow-up effort and starting a break which saw Frizzell send an excellent ball over the top for substitute Lewis McGregor to chase. Although Megwa got back to stop the Airdrie man’s process, his block teed up Mochrie to hammer home his second and spark jubilant scenes among the home support.

An agonising eight minutes of stoppage time passed without further incident, and the Diamonds made it six points from six this week with another well-deserved win.

Hamilton’s win at Dunfermline brings the Pars back within three points of Airdrie as the gap at the bottom grows tighter still.