Airdrie made it two wins out of two in the Premier Sports Cup with a 3-0 home victory over Bonnyrigg Rose.

Player-manager Rhys McCabe made two changes to the Diamonds line-up which had beaten Dundee in the sweltering Tayside heat on Saturday, himself and Gavin Gallagher dropping to the bench to make way for Dylan MacDonald and Jamie Barjonas.

Ex-Airdrie defender Corrie Fellows was named among the substitutes for the Lowland League visitors, having joined on loan from Kelty Hearts on Monday evening.

The Diamonds started strongly, Saturday’s scorer Chris Mochrie passing up an opportunity inside the first minute before an overloaded Airdrie counter was halted by a Max Dowling foul on Rhys Armstrong, with the Bonnyrigg man booked for his efforts.

Jonny Stewart’s side showed that they were no slouches on four minutes, zipping the ball forward with some neat passing, but the danger was seen off by Craig Ross and Sean McGinty at the heart of Airdrie’s defence.

MacDonald and Euan Henderson were getting joy down the flanks, and both passed up decent positions around the seventh minute.

Four minutes later the Diamonds were in front, Alex King breaking down the left and putting in a cross which was met by Josh Laing, whose defensive header was intercepted by Armstrong on the edge of the box. The midfielder controlled, quickly composed himself, and launched a superb strike into the top corner to open the scoring.

It took a lunging block to prevent Henderson doubling the lead on 15 minutes after Lewis McGrattan and Liam McStravick had combined to work the ball through the middle.

Laing picked up what would prove to be a costly booking six minutes later, tugging King’s shirt as Airdrie’s makeshift left-back bombed forward.

Ross Connelly was on his toes to beat Mochrie to King’s through-ball midway through the half, but the visitors served a reminder that they too posed a threat with a powerful Rudi Bryce header which Melrose did well to palm out.

The Diamonds keeper was in action again on the half-hour mark, saving another header before denying former Hearts striker Billy King as he hammered a free-kick toward goal.

On 37 minutes King and Henderson worked the ball down the flank, the latter cutting in-field and exchanging some neat passes with Barjonas and Mochrie, only to be tripped on the penalty spot – which referee Greg Soutar duly pointed to.

Laing was shown his second yellow card followed by the inevitable red, and Henderson dusted himself down to roll his spot-kick into the right of the goal after Connelly had dived to the left.

It took only two minutes for Airdrie to add a third, and again Henderson was at the heart of things, nicking the ball back after being robbed of possession on the flank, hitting the bye-line, and squaring for the unmarked McGrattan to turn home.

Connelly beat Mochrie to an incisive Barjonas pass as the Diamonds threatened to further increase their lead, but the first half ended with a 3-0 margin for the home side.

The second 45 was played at a more pedestrian pace as the Midlothian side sat deep in a damage-limitation exercise and Airdrie patiently tried to unpick the packed defence.

McGrattan played in MacDonald for a 49th-minute cross which was bundled behind, before firing wide himself after seizing on an error

It took a last-ditch block to deny Mochrie, who looked certain to score after taking Henderson’s pass following a wonderful Armstrong pass.

Barjonas saw an shot blocked on 59 minutes, Ross applying the overhead finish to the loose ball, but his effort was cleared by a defender.

After a quiet spell interrupted by substitutions and niggly fouls, McStravick send a 73rd-minute strike over the top after Airdrie sub Adam Aird had had an effort blocked.

Billy King had a go from range as the clock ticked down, but his long-range strike cleared the bar by a distance.

The final whistle brought a stuffy second period to a close, and the Diamonds had to settle for the 3-0 victory earned in the first half.

A weekend off beckons for Rhys McCabe’s side, who travel to Arbroath to take on Montrose next Wednesday before rounding off the group with a home match against Alloa Athletic the following Saturday.