Airdrie return to the Kingdom of Fife on Saturday following Tuesday's Scottish Cup exit in Kirkcaldy, but gaffer Jimmy Boyle is encouraged by what he saw from his players.

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It took extra time to finally separate the Diamonds and Raith, who shared 11 goals over the course of the tie. Raith may have progressed to the next round, but Boyle hailed the Airdrie effort as "fantastic".

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"I was really pleased with our efforts. The players kept going all night.

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"I can't fault the effort - I thought it was fantastic - and maybe with a wee bit of luck somewhere along the line we could have got through".

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The match saw some good attacking play from the Diamonds but again the goals conceded are proving to be a concern.

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"We're losing cheap goals," said the manager. "We're trying hard to keep the back door shut and know we can't keep going like this".

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A succession of injuries in the Diamonds' defence hasn't helped in that department, and goalkeeper Kenny Arthur was added to the casualty list after limping out of Tuesday night's game.

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Deputy keeper Andy Duncan came on and did well, and he'll be looking to continue between the sticks at Central Park.

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Cowdenbeath, who's bright start in the league included a 3-0 victory at New Broomfield in September, have seen their form slump recently, and Airdrie could leapfrog them with a positive result.

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The Blue Brazil have added a third Spaniard, Albert Puigdollers, to their squad. Ex-Diamond Jamie Stevenson may also feature.

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Referee David Somers is the man in black.