Callum Burnside made it two league wins in a row for the Diamonds as the winger bagged a double to down Peterhead at Balmoor.

Airdrie made the long trek north without last weekend’s matchwinner Liam McLeish, who missed out with a foot injury. Dapo Mebude replaced the striker in Airdrie’s only change, while Evan Easton was named among the substitutes alongside Cade Melrose, who replaced Ruairidh Adams.

In a windy first half, chances were few and far between, with the home side making the early running but unable to find a way past Declan Gallagher in the third minute.

Airdrie hit back with a nice passing move on 13 minutes, but it fizzled out when Sam Fisher overhit the final pass.

Burnside was next to threaten for the Diamonds, cutting in from the left after Fisher and Matty Yates had combined to thread the ball through, but the wide man saw his shot deflected wide for a corner.

Craig Ross was in commanding form at the back, clearing up after a 15th-minute Peterhead break before Fisher did the same two minutes later.

Dapo Mebude looked to be in on goal midway through the first half after a fine turn, but the long legs of Archie Graham denied the Airdrie forward, and some more solid defending denied Burnside again on 25 minutes.

Connor Smith struck a free-kick over the bar after Mebude’s bustling run had drawn a foul on the edge of the box, but the recent signing made amends at the other end just after the half-hour, racing back to nick possession as Peterhead burst forward.

With six minutes of the half remaining, Airdrie were handed a golden opportunity when Dylan Forrest slid to challenge Burnside in the box and instinctively blocked with his hands, leaving referee Mark Daly with no option but to point at the spot.

Burnside stepped up to take the spot-kick, calmly sending Craig Hepburn the wrong way as he stroked home.

Peterhead almost had the chance to equalise in first-half stoppage time as Hepburn raced out his box to clear, releasing Bobby McLuckie only for Ross to force the on-loan Morton striker away from goal.

Smith almost grabbed a second three minutes after the restart, but the midfielder’s low angled effort was just beyond the far post.

Ciaran Dunne lashed over the top on 53 minutes, with Hepburn getting his fingertips to Lewis Gibson’s volley four minutes later as the game opened up.

Andrew McCarthy was wasteful with his shot after a good build-up by the hosts just before the hour-mark.

Fisher’s cutback went unmet after good footwork in the Peterhead box, and Mebude’s driven pass to Yates was well taken by the frontman as his first touch looped over a defender, but Hepburn was alert to grab the ball before Yates could convert.

A spell of Peterhead pressure followed, broken up by a mass brawl as Yates and Zak To squared up, with both players eventually booked.

Forrest’s 70th-minute strike bent the wrong side of the post, and Declan Gallagher headed a deflected To effort off the line as the home side continued to push for an equaliser.

The Blue Toon did level the scores on 76 minutes, a Dunne corner finding Danny Strachan on the line, who flicked home under pressure.

The home side looked the more likely to grab a winner as another Dunne delivery had to be punched out by Jamie Sneddon on 83 minutes, but it was Airdrie who secured the points with two minutes remaining.

Substitute Josh Gentles took possession wide on the right, the linesman’s flag staying down despite there being more than a hint of offside about the striker’s position. Unperturbed, he found Burnside with a fine crossfield pass, and although the Northern Irishman’s first effort was well saved by Hepburn, he netted the rebound with an excellent angled finish.

Peterhead threw men forward in an attempt to salvage a draw, but there was no was past Smith and birthday boy Dylan MacDonald.

Gentles was denied the icing on the cake by a good stoppage-time block, but Burnside’s double was enough as the final whistle called time on a fine result on the road.