Airdrie United eye Friday night success

Nov 7 2012 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

John Drysdale says Airdrie’s first Friday night home fixture in almost a decade is proving to be a success off the pitch.

The Diamonds face Livingston in the Irn-Bru First Division at New Broomfield.

And commercial manager has revealed that double the number of hospitality places have been taken up when compared to Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup tie with Raith Rovers.

Airdrie are also hoping for an increase at the turnstiles, with casual fans coming along for the novelty value.

“Friday night football is something we have wanted to do for a long while,” Drysdale said. “We would have done it last season had the chance came up.

“Not every club wants to play on a Friday night so finding the right time and the right opponent has taken some doing. We’re not going into the dark. It has proven to be a success elsewhere and we hope it will be a success here.

“If hospitality bookings are anything to go by, then it’s looking good.

“For this game, compared to Raith, there is double the number in hospitality.

“In at least three cases the companies are taking hospitality specifically because we are playing on the Friday.

“From a commercial point of view, Friday night football is going to be a success.”

Fans have until 5pm on Thursday evening to book hospitality with space still available, Mr Drysdale confirmed.