After two away games on the bounce, it’s a return to the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium this afternoon and today we welcome Jimmy Boyle and his Airdrie side to Livingston for a second time this season.
It was August last year, seven months ago, that the Diamonds came here for our opening home match of the season and they returned to the Excelsior Stadium with three points that day after a well-earned 2-0 victory.
The fortunes of both sides have changed somewhat since then and while we find ourselves hot on the tail of Dunfermline in third place, Airdrie are currently propping up the table in bottom place – five points adrift of Dumbarton in ninth.
One win in their last fifteen games and a total accumulation of only eight points in that stretch has saw the Diamonds plummet down the table. In that same time, Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath in the places directly above them have been steadily improving and gathering points to stretch away from Boyle’s men.
With eleven games still to go, their fate is far from sealed, especially given the fact that they still have to play both the sides above them for the season finishes. However, if safety is to be achieved, the amount of goals being leaked will need to be reduced. On eleven occasions this season, the Airdrie back line has shipped 3 or more goals in a match and when you give yourself that sort of mountain to climb, it’s always going to be difficult.
Even just last month, goals from Paul Di Giacomo, John Boyle and Willie McLaren saw Airdrie score three away to Falkirk but that wasn’t enough to seal even a point as four goals were conceded at the other end and the Bairns claimed a 4-3 win which sent Airdrie to the bottom of the table for the first time this season.
There are signs of improvement though and that’s what Boyle will be looking to further in the coming weeks. Last weekend, it took a late Chris Erskine strike for Partick Thistle to see of Airdrie at Firhill. The travelling fans will have been thankful for that result to an extent, given their earlier trip to Firhill this season resulted in a 7-0 hammering.
The weekend prior to that, it looked like Airdrie had picked up only a second home win of the season after Jamie Bain gave them a 2-1 lead with the game in injury-time. However, lady luck continued to evade the Diamonds and with only seconds left on the referee’s watch, Stevie May popped up to nick a point for the Accies (sound familiar?!).
The last time we played Airdrie, a Friday night football trial, Di Giacomo had given them the lead but again, keeping the opposition out proved a problem as Marc McNulty, Liam Fox and Iain Russell secured a 3-1 Livi win in which proved to be John Hughes’ last game in charge before departing for Hartlepool.
So coming into this game, its one win each between the sides. Jimmy Boyle will be desperate to collect a second win here this season – especially given the fact that Dumbarton play host to Cowdenbeath this afternoon too, meaning there’ll be an opportunity for Airdrie to close in on at least one of the pair and look to push on up the table and out of the automatic relegation place.
Despite the result, an impressive showing last week at Firhill may have given the Diamonds a timely confidence boost coming into this game and they’ll come here today desperate to turn that effort level into points on the board.
Dave Black.
As published in 'ROAR' - the Livingston FC matchday magazine.
It was August last year, seven months ago, that the Diamonds came here for our opening home match of the season and they returned to the Excelsior Stadium with three points that day after a well-earned 2-0 victory.
The fortunes of both sides have changed somewhat since then and while we find ourselves hot on the tail of Dunfermline in third place, Airdrie are currently propping up the table in bottom place – five points adrift of Dumbarton in ninth.
One win in their last fifteen games and a total accumulation of only eight points in that stretch has saw the Diamonds plummet down the table. In that same time, Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath in the places directly above them have been steadily improving and gathering points to stretch away from Boyle’s men.
With eleven games still to go, their fate is far from sealed, especially given the fact that they still have to play both the sides above them for the season finishes. However, if safety is to be achieved, the amount of goals being leaked will need to be reduced. On eleven occasions this season, the Airdrie back line has shipped 3 or more goals in a match and when you give yourself that sort of mountain to climb, it’s always going to be difficult.
Even just last month, goals from Paul Di Giacomo, John Boyle and Willie McLaren saw Airdrie score three away to Falkirk but that wasn’t enough to seal even a point as four goals were conceded at the other end and the Bairns claimed a 4-3 win which sent Airdrie to the bottom of the table for the first time this season.
There are signs of improvement though and that’s what Boyle will be looking to further in the coming weeks. Last weekend, it took a late Chris Erskine strike for Partick Thistle to see of Airdrie at Firhill. The travelling fans will have been thankful for that result to an extent, given their earlier trip to Firhill this season resulted in a 7-0 hammering.
The weekend prior to that, it looked like Airdrie had picked up only a second home win of the season after Jamie Bain gave them a 2-1 lead with the game in injury-time. However, lady luck continued to evade the Diamonds and with only seconds left on the referee’s watch, Stevie May popped up to nick a point for the Accies (sound familiar?!).
The last time we played Airdrie, a Friday night football trial, Di Giacomo had given them the lead but again, keeping the opposition out proved a problem as Marc McNulty, Liam Fox and Iain Russell secured a 3-1 Livi win in which proved to be John Hughes’ last game in charge before departing for Hartlepool.
So coming into this game, its one win each between the sides. Jimmy Boyle will be desperate to collect a second win here this season – especially given the fact that Dumbarton play host to Cowdenbeath this afternoon too, meaning there’ll be an opportunity for Airdrie to close in on at least one of the pair and look to push on up the table and out of the automatic relegation place.
Despite the result, an impressive showing last week at Firhill may have given the Diamonds a timely confidence boost coming into this game and they’ll come here today desperate to turn that effort level into points on the board.
Dave Black.
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