Airdire played into Dunfermline's hands, says McCabe after tough defeat

Daily Record

16 hours ago

The Diamonds lost their first game of the new Championship season at East End Park
Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe admits his Diamonds lacked the quality in the final third to trouble Dunfermline in Saturday's defeat.
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John Tod put the Pars ahead in 40 minutes, with brother Andrew netting a quick-fire second three minutes later to seal the points.
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Airdrie couldn't get a look in after that and McCabe said: 'I think the enthusiasm, the intensity and stuff from the game, in the first half of the game anyway, was good up until the goal, and then after that you lose your way.
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'You're chasing the game, and almost playing into their hands.
'They're quite happy to be solid at the back,with strong, aggressive players, and we probably didn't do enough.
'We didn't do enough. We got a couple of wee half-chances, getting into areas, but we needed to do a wee bit better and couldn't exploit them, we were just lacking in that final third.
'That wee bit of quality, that final pass, final shot, final decision-making process wasn't there.
'But the work was probably done in the first half, because I think on the balance it looked like we were in control right up until the key moments, which were the goals.'
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Meanwhile, midfielder Rhys Armstrong admits his side have a long two weeks to get things right, before taking on Queen's Park in the Championship.
The ex-Celtic youth was behind much of what the Diamonds did right as they lost 2-0 against Dunfermline at East End Park on Saturday.
Midfielder Armstrong, who signed from the Spartans in July 2024, volleyed over the bar, and curled a shot wide of the top corner as he tried to add to the one strike he has so far this season.
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With a 10-day gap until the Spiders visit New Broomfield on August 23, Armstrong says there is much to work on.
Armstrong, 23, told club media: 'It's always good to get the next game as soon as possible and put that one behind us, but we've got a long two weeks to go, work on what we've got to work on, hopefully improve and get the result.'
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On the game itself, Armstrong groaned: 'It was a scrappy goal for them, the first one, and then we need to deal with it better, get into our shape, see out the first half, and go in and regroup.
'But we conceded the second quite fast and went in, and gave ourselves a lot to do, coming out in the second half.
'Our build-up all over the park wasn't good enough and in the final third we need to be much better, and create more chances.
'We've still got the full second half to come out and do much better, and claw back at least a goal, and get us back in the game. But we just couldn't create anything and get ourselves back into the game.'