Airdrie make point on First Division comeback

Aug 6 2008 by Colin Paterson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

Queen of the South 0 Airdrie United 0

WRITTEN off as relegation no-hopers, most pundits have tipped the Diamonds to take the plunge through the First Division trapdoor.

So it was a bristling Airdrie that arrived at Palmerston on Saturday with points to prove both individually and collectively.

And by the end of this hard-fought tussle in the Dumfries sunshine, they had been made emphatically.

The message was delivered loud and clear by Airdrie’s hard-working, sweat-soaked players and gaffer Kenny Black who kicked every ball with them from the touchline.

They aren’t here simply to make up the numbers, with frustrated UEFA Cup hopefuls Queens finding that out.

Although short of goalmouth action, this was an absorbing contest in which the resolve, will and spirit of Airdrie to keep the hosts at bay proved too strong to be broken.

More of the same will be required over the coming weeks. This was a good result, but it has to be the first of many if the Diamonds are to stay out of trouble.

“I thought we thoroughly deserved a point due to the effort we put in even though a lot of people may disagree with that,” said a content Black.

“We aren’t the finished article by any means, there are a lot of youngsters in the squad and there is a bit of naivety there. This is a decent result but we won’t get carried away.”

Impressive, powerful performances were produced all over the park. Central defensive duo Bobby Donnelly and David Nixon were exposed on numerous occasions by Dumbarton in the Challenge Cup.

Seven days on, it was a totally different story. Far more encouraging displays were turned in with Donnelly taking confidence from winning an early aerial joust with Queens dangerman Sean O’Connor and Nixon making some important tackles.

“I decided to stick with them,” added Black. “I think they had a point to prove, not just to me, but to the fans and their team-mates after last week’s debacle.

“I thought they stuck to their task well because Sean is a real handful. I was delighted with how the defence got through the game.”

Full-back Marc Smyth also deserves credit for looking solid and using his experience to guide the youngsters at the back before succumbing to injury while Paul Di Giacomo never stopped running during his lonely stint up front.

But the key battleground was in central midfield and, in this area, Airdrie excelled with Black getting his tactics absolutely spot on.

The gaffer deployed a 4-5-1 system with insurance policy Scott McLaughlin replacing benched forward Stuart Noble.

It was a formation designed to accommodate exciting wing duo Stephen McDougall and Joe Cardle, stop Queens dictating play and to give the back four a little more protection.

That Airdrie headed up the M74 with a point in the kit hamper was thanks mainly to the efforts of McLaughlin, Kevin McDonald and Stephen McKenna who never put a foot wrong.

Quick to loose balls, the gutsy trio were in the faces of their opponents all afternoon with the Doonhamers’ two most influential players, Stevie Tosh and Stephen Dobbie, unable to stamp their authority on the game.

Black said: “I thought the two wide players were important to us and maybe that wee bit of energy in the middle of the park helped us.”

For many football supporters, the tactic of going with a solitary hitman smacks of being over-cautious and playing not to get beat, but man of the match McKenna reckons it could be Airdrie’s path to success.

The 22-year-old said: “People might think our 4-5-1 is negative but we have wingers who like to attack so when we have the ball it is a 4-3-3 at times.

“It is something we could be doing a lot away whereas at home we will probably be more adventurous and take the initiative.”

One disappointment during the 90 minutes was Airdrie’s shocking delivery at set-pieces. Too many corners and free-kicks were wasted, and the lack of a killer ball in the final third of the pitch was evident.

In a league as tight and competitive as the First Division, where the error for margin is notoriously small, it is an aspect of the Diamonds’ play that will have to be improved sooner rather than later.

Queens squandered a golden chance to take a 12th minute lead when Dobbie robbed Matt Hazley of possession and crossed to the back post for O’Connor who screwed a shot wide.

O’Connor’s luck was well and truly out in the 55th minute. A neat Dobbie ball cut open the Airdrie defence with the English hitman rounding keeper Stephen Robertson.

All he needed to do was hit the target but Smyth was alert to the danger and raced back to his line to make a crucial block at a critical time.

Airdrie’s best chance fell to Di Giacomo in the 68th minute. The former Kilmarnock striker collected McDonald’s through ball and fired in a low drive but Bryn Halliwell got down sharply to make a good stop.

With four minutes remaining, substitute Simon Lynch stole a march on Jim Thomson as he chased after a long clearance from Robertson.

One-on-one with Halliwell, the Diamonds new boy was staring at a debut goal until the Queens defender barged him over outside the box with referee Charlie Richmond having no option but to show a red card.

“I’d have preferred Jim to have left Simon alone at that time,” rued Black.

A winning goal would have been beyond the wildest dreams of the travelling support who got behind their heroes, and showed their appreciation at the final whistle. They recognised the effort that had been served up.

Favourites for the dreaded drop? Not on this evidence.

Advertiser man of the match: Stephen McKenna. Great shift in the middle of the park and made a number of vital interventions.

Moment of the match: Marc Smyth did so well to block a Sean O’Connor shot at the start of the second half when the striker appeared destined to score.

Queens: Halliwell, Barr, Thomson, Reid, McQuilken, Burns, MacFarlane (McGowan 71), Tosh, Dobbie (Arbuckle 78), Kean, O’Connor. Subs not used: Aitken, Robertson, Bell(gk).

Booked: McQuilken, Tosh, McGowan. Sent-off: Thomson.

Airdrie: Robertson, Smyth (Smith 63), Donnelly, Nixon, Hazley, McDougall, McKenna, McDonald, McLaughlin, Cardle, Di Giacomo (Lynch 71). Subs not used: Noble, McMenamin, Hollis(gk).

Booked: Nixon, McDonald.

Referee: Charlie Richmond.

Attendance: 2,914