Airdrie lose opening game in the Irn Bru first division.

Yesterday’s match had a little bit of everything, some entertaining football, a couple of penalties, a harsh sending off and a stone wall penalty denied.

The debate on the bus concerned all the goings on of the week and whether Livingston, who claim to be a first division team would turn up to their scheduled fixture Vs Ross County. Surely to solidify their claims they would have to send even a token team to Dingwall! Obviously they never showed in the Highlands and made no contact with Ross County officials and never showed, they did however refuse to play their other scheduled game Vs East Stirlingshire so acknowledging they do have a place some where. Any way I’m now bored with the whole situation and just want to watch my team playing football.

 Ross County 2 – 1 AirdrieThe Team

Robertson
Smith, Donnelly Nixon Waddell
Trouten MacDonald, McLaughlin, Lagana.
Baird, Gemmill

Booked: Smith, Trouten, Lagana (2 x yellow)
MotM: Trouten 

All many of us hoped for when travelling north was a better performance than the previous weeks and a bit of fight and hopefully not to be embarrassed, well we simply weren’t.

I would say maybe a hundred Airdrie fans travelled to the game and although Ross County dominated the early stages of the match we were here to be counted. 

Ross County were forced to make a change before the match even kicked off, Stephen Craig was replaced on the team sheet by ex-Diamond Paul Di-Giacomo, after he was injured in the warm up. 

Yes obviously it was to be Di-Giacomo who would open the scoring for Ross County on 18 minutes; he was left with an easy shot at the far post.  

Airdrie tried to battle back but we are still toothless in front of goal, we made plenty of pretty patterns around the park but just don’t take enough shots on goal.  In Alan Trouten I think we have found a weapon we really have to find a way to utilise, his crossed balls and corners gave us several opportunities to equalise, but just no one with the composure or height to take advantage of them. 

On 32 minutes it looked like the game was all over and Ross County would go on to rout us, Gary Wood rose above the Airdrie defence for a free header and Ross County’s second of the match. 

It took until now for our pretty patterns to give us a chance, Alan Trouten received a pass and ran in to the box, he was brought down and Airdrie were given a penalty, Scott McLaughlin stepped up to the spot and rattled the ball of the cross bar, we knew then it wasn’t meant to be our day. 

Five minutes later Baird got Airdrie’s first goal of the season. It came from the penalty spot, after he was brought to the ground, his shot flew under McGovern in the Ross County goal.

The surprise was that Airdrie had now received two penalties and Ross County were still to have a man booked.  The lack of bookings would become a major factor when on 45 minutes Franky Lagana received his second yellow card and left the field of play for what was deemed as two dangerous tackles. It seemed harsh from an Airdrie point of view.  

The second half was a battle for that decisive goal, both teams gave their all trying to find a way to kill the game off or get the equaliser. 

Late in the half, Darren Smith who had run himself in to the ground was brought down in the box, it was the easiest penalty decision of the three in most peoples opinion, referee Thomson disagreed and booked Smith for diving, which seemed more than harsh as earlier in the half Ross County’s number three was given a harsh speaking to for what was a blatant dive. 

Even with 10 men in the second half Kenny made changes to try and take something from the game, I’ve seen us play worse and get something from a match but yesterday it just wasn’t meant to be. 

A entertaining opening match for us in the first division, but we still need a goal scorer or two!