Cammy Cooper’s first Airdrie goal ensured a nervy finale for St Johnstone, but the league leaders held on for a win built on a strong first-half performance.

An unnecessary stoppage-time red card for each side sealed a bad-tempered conclusion to the match, but the Diamonds can take encouragement from a spirited second-half display.

Danny Lennon was dealt a blow before kick-off, with Aidan Wilson ruled out through illness while Chris Mochrie was also unable to play following a training-ground knock. Dylan MacDonald and Liam McStravick were the players brought in.

Championship Player of the Month Josh McPake was among those named in a strong St Johnstone side as manager Simo Valakari looked to extend his unbeaten league run.

It was the visitors who made the early running, Sean McGinty and Matty Connelly combining to fend off a first-minute attack led by McPake, who saw an effort blocked by Jamie Barjonas two minutes later.

Euan Henderson’s pace gave Airdrie an early focal point, with two long balls from defence proving successful around the sixth-minute mark, although the Saints defence blocked both of Henderson’s strikes.

With nine-minutes played the Perth side took the lead, captain Jason Holt taking a square ball from McPake and slipping a perfectly-weighted pass into the path of Jamie Gullan, who made no mistake with a fine angled finish.

Former Livingston midfielder Reece McAlear almost doubled his side’s lead two minutes later, but Connelly was equal to his stinging drive from outside the box.

Connelly followed up with an even better save on 17 minutes, denying Adama Sidibeh from close range after an excellent corner kick delivery, but the keeper was beaten again two minutes later, a cross from the St Johnstone left dropping at the back post for defender Cheick Diabate to head home.

The visitors continued to attack in numbers, with McPake and Kai Fotheringham denied by defensive headers as Airdrie struggled to get a foothold in the match.

Sidibe fired wide on the half-hour mark, having being denied by a deflection five minutes earlier, with Connelly twice keeping McPake efforts out as the final ten minutes of the first half approached.

As the Diamonds rallied towards the end of the period, Jack Baird stood firm as Barjonas tried to release Henderson again on 38 minutes.

Lewis McGrattan struck the underside of the bar with a lovely chipped effort a minute later, and just as it had on Saturday, the ball bounced the wrong side of the line and was cleared to safety.

Airdrie weren’t finished yet, and Henderson forced a top save from Toby Steward on 41-minutes, the on-loan Portsmouth keeper diving full-length to get his fingertips to a netbound curling effort.

Steward was in action again five minutes after the restart, blocking on the line as McGrattan attempted to bundle home a Lewis Strapp cross, and Connelly saved well from Gullan at the other end as Sidibeh continued to cause problems.

Connelly and Cole McKinnon combined to clear a 61st-minute free-kick, with some intricate footwork from McGrattan then going unrewarded as Strapp’s return pass was cut out.

Cammy Cooper and Tate Xavier-Jones were introduced in the 71st minute, and three minutes later the pair were involved in Airdrie’s goal, Xavier-Jones starting a move down the right which ended with fellow substitute Rhys Armstrong whipping in a low cross which Cooper turned home.

The resurgent Diamonds pressed for an equaliser, but some effective time-wasting tactics interrupted the flow of the game, and Steward did well to cut out Cooper’s pass before punching a corner kick away from the incoming Craig Ross with four minutes remaining.

Two separate bouts of fisticuffs broke out in stoppage-time, with referee Lloyd Wilson booking Diabate and Aaron Reid, as well as Holt and Strapp.

If the skirmishes had been another delaying tactic from the visitors, they proved successful as Airdrie were unable to level the match.

The final whistle prompted Diabate to square up to Reid in apparent celebration, and as the Airdrie man pushed the defender away, the referee was quickly on the scene to show both players a second yellow card followed by the inevitable reds.

The somewhat harsh sending-off means that Airdrie will be without Reid as they visit Ayr United on Saturday, with the Honest Men picking up their first win of the season in the evening’s other Championship fixture.