Airdrie will contest the Championship play-offs once again after drawing with Morton in a tense match which swung on a controversial red card for captain Lewis Strapp.

Given the possible consequences, a nervy affair was to be expected – and while that was the case in the first half, the game burst to life after the break.

There was one change for the Diamonds, top scorer Euan Henderson returning from injury to regain his place in the starting line-up. Scott Constable made way while Cole McKinnon moved into the right wing-back role.

Airdrie boss Aaron Taylor-Sinclair was also able to name club captain Aidan Wilson and fellow defender Dylan MacDonald on the substitutes bench after the pair came through a week of training unscathed.

An early ball across goal at either end was dealt with by the respective defences, Craig Ross setting the scene for another all-action display by heading out an Owen Moffat cross, while Strapp saw a square pass cleared at the other end.

Chris Mochrie was on the wrong end of a late Nathan Shaw challenge on six minutes, but was able to continue after treatment with the offence unpunished.

Mochrie saw a cross well blocked after good play by Jamie Barjonas two minutes later, with Curtis Main seeing an attempt similarly handled as the sides continued to trade early openings.

Henderson had the ball nicked off his toe as he tried to fashion a shot on 16 minutes, with Jackson Longridge then heading wide from Shaw’s free-kick.

The first save of the match came from James Storer, Morton’s Wolves loanee getting down to smother ex-Ton man Lewis McGrattan’s 20th-minute effort.

Shaw should have given his side the lead on 21 minutes, but another outstanding block from Ross denied the former Inverness forward.

As Morton continued to apply the pressure, Michael Garrity’s cross was deflected onto Main’s head and forced onto the post and behind by Harry Stone.

The Diamonds hit back through the lively Mochrie, who saw his 25th-minute cross forced behind before seeing another delivery claimed by Storer as McKinnon closed in.

Airdrie’s best chance of the first half fell to Jamie Barjonas just before the half-hour mark, the midfielder left exasperated as Storer somehow clawed his goalbound effort off the line before Dom Thomas’s follow-up was blocked.

A flurry of cautions followed as referee Nick Walsh flourished his yellow card amid a spirited encounter.

Shaw failed to find Main with the goal gaping after driving into the box and drawing Stone to the near post, and as the half drew to a close Ross cleared a Zak Delaney cross before Stone held an ambitious Main volley.

The second half was only two and a half minutes old when Henderson handed Airdrie the lead, finishing off a lovely passing move for his 19th goal of the season.

Linking with Barjonas on the left, the Diamonds striker then squared for Thomas and continued his run. There was an element of good fortune as Thomas’s pass was deflected into the path of Mochrie, but there was nothing lucky about the perfectly-weighted ball in to Henderson, who took a touch before tucking beyond Storer to send the travelling support behind the goal into raptures.

Morton looked for an immediate retaliation, but there was no way past Charlie McArthur as the visiting defence did its job once again.

Thomas saw a long-range effort drift wide on 51 minutes before a good block denied him from a tight angle a minute later, and McArthur sent a thumping header just wide from the resultant corner.

Shaw found the side netting on 55 minutes as the tempo continued to increase, and Stone took a Moffat cross two minutes later.

Two Ton midfielders got in each other’s way in the 58th-minute, allowing Airdrie to stream forward only to see the fingertips of Storer deny Barjonas again.

The Diamonds were left rueing the miss a minute later as Morton broke up the field. Strapp raced to the bye-line to win the loose ball on halfway, with Iain Wilson’s momentum taking him into the sliding Airdrie defender. It was a whole-hearted challenge typical of Airdrie’s acting captain, but much to the surprise of everyone present Mr Walsh produced a straight red card.

Thomas made way for MacDonald as Aaron Taylor-Sinclair reshuffled the pack, but with Ross County leading in Kirkcaldy the Diamonds knew they were up against it in the fight to avoid automatic relegation.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Airdrie continued to press for opportunities to add to their lead, and Storer was well placed to claim a 67th-minute Mochrie effort which spun into the air off a defender.

Morton fans were on their feet again 70 minutes later, but again it was only the side netting which rippled.

There was no such luck for the Diamonds two minutes later as a fine cross from the Morton right found Main at the far post, and the on-loan Ayr striker powered his header beyond Stone and into the net to make it 1-1.

Charlie Telfer played in MacDonald on 78 minutes, but the makeshift left-back saw his shot desperately blocked.

Cameron Blues wasn’t far away with an 81st-minute effort as Morton looked to make sure of their safety, but a turnaround at Stark’s Park had seen Ross County return to the bottom spot with Airdrie now facing a ninth-place finish.

Mochrie looked to be hauled down in the box as McArthur’s 87th-minute header was deflected into the Airdrie man’s path, but the referee was unmoved, and a stoppage-time Telfer free-kick was dealt with by the defensive wall.

The final whistle confirmed the home side’s survival, with the Diamonds awaiting the outcome of a long period of stoppage time in Kirkcaldy. Despite a late equaliser for the Staggies, Raith scored again to win the match, meaning Airdrie face a two-legged play-off semi-final against Queen of the South or Alloa Athletic, with all eyes on the Indodrill Stadium tomorrow as Tuesday night’s destination is determined.