AIRDRIE UTD

Airdrie again started the match at a high tempo playing some lovely, slick football with Gow, Coyle, Dunn and McLaren all to the fore. However Alloa would prove to be a more difficult proposition than Stenhousemuir and Hamilton proved in recent weeks. Tom Hendrie's side worked with dilligence and pace to close down Airdrie and looked to be doing their utmost to stop the supply line to the dangerous Diamonds forwards. Indeed Alloa's aggression threatened to upset Airdrie early on as Kevin Christie was yellow carded for a wild challenge, wild in it's cumbersome lateness rather than injury threatening, on Ryan Stevenson. Ross Hamilton was only yellow carded for pushing Christie quite forcefully in the aftermath and almost sparking a mass brawl. Christie was unsettled and minutes later he could have walked for another challenge, less viscious but clumsy none the less. Ref Underhill did us a huge favour by taking the sting out of that one by warning Christie to cool the beans. Only twenty minutes gone and not looking good. Moments later a catalogue of errors led to Alloa taking the lead. Christie again started things off by fumbling a clearance that eventually led to Alloa almost walking through Airdrie's defence with Daly finishing off the slick move.

Credit where it's due, Alloa were all over Airdrie and didn't not deserve their lead. Sandy Stewart managed to compose Christie enough to settle him down, and the team worked hard to get back into the match. With about ten minutes till half time Airdrie drew level in style. David Dunn slid into a challenge deep on the right in his own half, for a second it looked like he was going to half someone in two, the ball broke loose and a long ball was flick on by Gow to Coyle, still down the right. Coyle played a diagonal ball between the central defenders around the 'D' for Willie McLaren who'd cut in from the left flank beyond the defence. McLaren took the throughball in his stride and slotted his first Airdrie goal beyond Gary McGlynn. Two minutes from the break McLaren picked up the ball out on the left touchline just inside the Alloa half. He cut inside his marker Ian Nicholson, dropped his shoulder and burst away from him in electric fashion, leaving Alloa defenders in his wake before thrashing the ball low past McGlynn, right footed, from about 25 yards out. It almost looked like McLaren had sclaffed his shot but it had enough on it to go in off the post.

After the break Airdrie turned on the style but couldn't add to their lead. McLaren and Dunn were in mesmerising form, aided and abetted by the bang in form Owen Coyle. Dunn managed to hit one effort off the crossbar as and angry Coyle demanded a pass, Jerome almost worked another angle in the sixyard box but agonisingly lost the chance, and sub Mark Roberts was unlucky too near the end. Scott Wilson went off midway through the half with a groin injury and was replaced by Allan McManus

A good result even if the performance was flat in places. Airdrie showed good character to come back from loosing an early goal and now look forward to the midweek visit to Cappielow to take on leaders Morton. Scott Wilson may be a doubt which is unfortunate but otherwise there seems to be competition for places.