Airdrie moved off the foot of the Championship table with a fantastic 2-1 win at the home of pre-season title favourites Ross County.

Caretaker manager Aaron Taylor-Sinclair was forced to shuffle the pack after losing Lewis Strapp to injury and Aidan Wilson and Liam McStravick to illness. Dylan MacDonald and Craig Ross came into the starting line-up while Williams twins Cole and Dylan returned to the subs bench.

The home side were on the front foot early doors, with MacDonald blocking well in the sixth minute after a couple of early attacks broke down.

The Diamonds’ first chance fell to top scorer Euan Henderson, who saw his 12th-minute free-kick blocked by the wall after Gavin Gallagher had been tripped.

Jamie Barjonas cleared the bar two minutes later, and Cade Melrose produced the first of many top saves as he denied Ronan Hale from close range on 16 minutes.

Melrose was in action again seven minutes later, saving with his feet after James Scott almost took advantage of a heavy McMaster touch.

Ross was calm at the back as County upped the pressure, but it took another Melrose save to deny Scott after Sean McGinty had been dispossessed on the edge of the box.

Ryan Duncan volleyed wide on the half-hour mark, but it was Melrose who provided the last line of defence again as Jordan White headed goalward from yards out.

Airdrie’s penalty claims were unrewarded as Duncan controlled MacDonald’s cross with an arm on 35 minutes, and two minutes later an important defensive touch stopped a dangerous cross reaching Lewis McGrattan.

An Airdrie rally late in the half saw Gallagher’s shot blocked before a Chris Mochrie cutback was scrambled clear with four minutes of the half remaining.

The half-time whistle saw the sides go in goalless, but the Diamonds certainly owed a debt to keeper Melrose.

A different story unfolded in the second half, with Trevor Carson claiming a 46th-minute header from Cole McKinnon’s long throw as Airdrie set the scene early on.

McGrattan saw a powerful effort well blocked two minutes later, with County hitting back through former Airdrie loanee Scott Fraser, but the midfielder’s shot was high and wide.

A series of corners for the home side ultimately came to nothing, with Melrose clawing one out before another broke to Duncan, who put his angled effort out of the stadium.

Airdrie punished the home side with the opening goal on 57 minutes, McGrattan showing good persistence to keep the ball in play on the right before passing to Mochrie, who in turn squared for Gallagher to pass a beautiful finish beyond Carson into the net.

Connor Randall looked to be in trouble on 59 minutes as McGrattan broke and twice wrongfooted the defender, who recovered well to deny the Diamonds man.

An attempted overhead kick by Dylan Smith didn’t trouble the Airdrie goal on 61 minutes, before Randall defended well again, blocking McGrattan’s shot after a good Henderson run.

Mochrie was unable to take advantage of a missed header three minutes later as Carson first parried then held his angled strike.

Henderson was declared fit to continue after some 66th-minute treatment, and the decision paid off for the Diamonds as the striker netted his 12th of the season a minute later, Mochrie leading the counter-attack and pulling two defenders wide before slipping his team-mate in to finish.

Carson claimed a 72nd-minute Barjonas cross as Airdrie pushed for a third, the experienced keeper showing safe hands again a minute later as Mochrie sent another shot in.

The hosts pushed higher in an attempt to mirror the first meeting of the sides, in which the Diamonds came from 2-0 down to rescue a point, but Ross was proving unbeatable as he defended his 18-yard box ferociously.

Carson managed to push an 80th-minute Barjonas effort over the bar despite appearing to fumble the ball, and the Diamonds midfielder was back defending a minute later.

County did get one back through substitute Jay Henderson, but there was a stroke of luck about the goal as the former Ayr loanee struck the ball against his standing foot, causing it to change direction and wrongfoot Melrose.

The Airdrie keeper was determined not to be beaten again, and saved well from Miller Thomson with five minutes remaining.

Thomson passed up a good chance in stoppage time, scooping over before White sent a header the same way.

Duncan sent the last opportunity of the match well wide, and the Diamonds collected another massive win on the road.

The result sees Airdrie leapfrog County and Queen’s Park into eighth-place ahead of Tuesday’s KDM Evolution Trophy match against Alloa Athletic.