Connor Smith opened his Airdrie account with a hat-trick as the Diamonds continued to rack up the goals, putting seven past Berwick Rangers.

The were four changes to the side which routed Bonnyrigg Rose on Tuesday evening, with training ground knocks ruling out Craig Ross and Evan Easton. Jamie Sneddon, Dylan MacDonald, Cole McKinnon and Smith replaced Ruairidh Adams, Ross, Declan Gallagher and AJ Bridge.

Former Airdrie loanee Josh O’Connor lined up for the managerless Wee Rangers.

After a heavy first touch had prevented MacDonald getting a third-minute shot away, Airdrie did get the early opener on seven minutes.

Lewis Gibson’s close control took him between two defenders and into the box, where he cut back for Ewan Simpson to control with his right foot before rifling his first Diamonds goal home with his left.

The second came soon after, Gibson the creator again as he swung in a corner which McKinnon guided goalward with his head. As the ball nestled in the net, the goal was credited to the Airdrie skipper despite Gavin Gallagher’s claim to the final touch.

Gallagher, on deadly form on Tuesday night with two goals and a superb assist, was unable to get MacDonald’s 13th-minute pass under his spell as the Diamonds pushed for a third.

Reghan Tumilty was next to threaten for Airdrie, Smith sending a low ball across goal which was worked to the defender, who drew a good save from Berwick keeper Owen Hayward.

As the half wore on the Diamonds pressure was relentless, Berwick captain Alfie Robinson doing well to head behind under pressure from Divine Iserhienrhien midway through the 45.

Iserhienrhien forced Hayward into another good hold as he applied a neat flick to a 28th-minute cross, and the keeper was the hero again a minute later as he parried Gallagher’s headed effort then blocked the rebound from the same player.

A 36th-minute Hayward stop fell to Iserhienrhien again, who shot over the bar before Smith also went too high a minute later.

Simpson’s long-range curler flew past the post four minutes before half-time, but the Diamonds did add a third before the break. Simpson nicked possession in the final third, spreading play to Iserhienrhien whose low cross was touched into Smith’s path, leaving the midfielder with an easy close-range finish.

A Berwick attack early in the second half saw Ross Nelson denied by McKinnon then Kwame Boateng, and the Diamonds responded by grabbing their fourth of the game.

MacDonald burst down the right and crossed for Smith, who failed to make a clean connection with the ball. With the visiting defence static, Gallagher stepped up to steer home an angled strike for his third goal of the week.

Within three minutes the English side had one back, Grant Leitch doing well to hold off Airdrie substitute Matty Yates and thread a defence-splitting pass for Michael Mbewe, who slotted through Sneddon’s legs to make it 4-1.

Iserhienrhien was pulled back after touching on a lovely Tumilty ball on the hour-mark, allowing Hayward to gather, but the offence went unpunished.

A lovely piece of interplay between Gallagher, Yates and Dapo Mebude would have resulted in the goal of the game, but for a fantastic last-ditch block on 63 minutes.

Further substitutions were made by both sides, with Kian Taylor adding to the score four minutes after his 75th-minute introduction. The Englishman met Smith’s corner kick with his thigh, steering the ball beyond Hayward for Airdrie’s fifth of the afternoon.

The goal blitz continued a minute later, Yates spotting Smith in space and finding the midfielder who netted his second from 12 yards after shifting the ball.

And two minutes later the pair linked again to give Smith his hat-trick as he controlled Yates’s lofted pass with his knee before slotting home.

It was the last noteworthy incident of the match, and the Diamonds will return to league action next week in confident mood after racking up 13 goals over their last two matches.