Airdrie’s regular league season ended with home defeat, although the Diamonds will feel they deserved more against Ayr United in a match with a distinct end-of-season feel.

Manager Rhys McCabe rang the changes with Tuesday evening’s play-off semi-final away leg looming. The player-boss was one of five amendments to last weekend’s line-up – Craig Watson, Flynn Duffy, Gavin Gallagher, and Lewis McGregor also coming in in place of Dylan MacDonald, Mason Hancock, Dean McMaster, Adam Frizzell and Chris Mochrie.

Although Ayr also face a play-off on Tuesday, manager Scott Brown opted to go with arguably a full-strength line-up as the Honest Men looked to extend their hoodoo over the Diamonds.

Airdrie started the match in attacking mood, stand-in captain Craig Watson finding Gallagher, who fired over after a second-minute free-kick had only been partially cleared.

Early half-chances for the visitors were capably dealt with by Duffy and Cade Melrose before McCabe stung the palms of Ayr keeper Josh Clarke with a powerful 25-yard free-kick effort. Although the Celtic loanee couldn’t hold the deadball strike, Ayr’s defence reacted quickest to clear the danger.

Clarke beat McGregor to a searching McCabe pass on 17 minutes, with a quiet period following before Ethan Walker sent a dipping 32nd-minute effort just over the bar.

Melrose did well to tip a netbound header over the top a minute later, with Liam McStravick striking from distance on 44-minutes and narrowly missing the target.

Ricco Diack’s first touch took him wide as McCabe sent another pinpoint pass through the middle, the on-loan striker sending his angled effort wide of the post.

With a minute of the first-half remaining the visitors took the lead, former Diamond Jake Hastie sending in a corner which captain Ben Dempsey attacked in the centre of the box. The ball seemed to loop up off the midfielder’s shoulder, catching Melrose off-guard, and the Diamonds keeper could only watch as the ball dropped into his net via the underside of the bar.

Ayr’s half-time substitute Curtis Main had the first opportunity of the second half, bursting through the middle and firing just wide on 48 minutes, with a good block denying Rhys Armstrong two minutes later following good work from Gallagher and McGregor.

The Diamonds came close to a 54th-minute equaliser as a corner kick was forced goalward, but Clarke gathered at the second attempt.

Both sides made changes just after the hour mark, with a cameo for the Williams twins, Cole and Dylan, alongside Dean McMaster.

Airdrie’s penalty claims fell on deaf ears on 63 minutes, a block on Armstrong’s shot deemed not to be an illegal handball, and Jay Henderson fired wildly over at the other end three minutes later.

Cole Williams picked out McGregor with a fantastic 70th-minute pass, but the wide man saw his cross hacked away before Diamonds sub Lewis McGrattan sent a fizzing effort over the top.

Ben Wilson came off the bench to get on the end of some late chances, Clarke turning an angled effort from the striker behind on 82 minutes, with McGrattan clearing the bar again two minutes later.

Wilson got a toe to an 87th-minute McGregor cross, but his flicked effort went wide, and in the last minute Lenny Agbaire was able to clear off the line after the Northern Irishman had bustled through the middle and rounded Clarke only to see a defensive touch take the power out of his shot.

Steven Kirkland’s final whistle called time on the match – as well as the referee’s career as he retires from the game – and the Diamonds will now await Saturday’s League 1 fixtures to discover who their play-off opponents will be.