Dean Cairns says the Airdrie squad are sorry for last weekend's performance, and the Diamonds are eager to make amends against Albion Rovers.

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Airdrie's chance to bounce back from last week's nightmare 7-1 defeat comes against local rivals Rovers in the second Monklands derby of the season.

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Cairns is hoping to be involved in the clash after a string of good performances in midfield.

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The 20-year-old faced a short spell on the sidelines after a strong start to the season in defence, but has found himself back in the side as a midfield ballwinner - a role which he thinks suits him.

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"I'm enjoying it, especially since Conroy came back - it's good to have a bit of experience in there to help you and talk you through games.

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"I was playing centre-half previously and fell out of the side a wee bit, but I'm happy to be back in and I'm enjoying the midfield role."

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Cairns in one of a number of Diamonds players with two goals to his name this season, and he says that finding the back of the net is a responsibility that should be shared throughout the team.

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"We all need to chip in, especially in games where Willis is upfront himself.

 

"The likes of me, Tom, Jake and Scotty have got to help out with goals."
 

 

Turning to Saturday's derby, it's impossible to avoid discussing last week's defeat at Arbroath. Cairns is in no mood to make excuses.

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"It's simply not good enough. We can only apologise to the fans who made the journey up there to watch that. It's nowhere near the standards we showed in the two games previous to that.

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"I'm sure it's just a one-off and it'll never happen again, and I think Saturday could the ideal game for us to put it right."
 

"It's always a big game against the Rovers, it means a lot to both sets of fans. The result last week might make it a bigger game than usual, but I think that's a good thing for the boys."

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With Ryan Tierney's debut double giving Airdrie a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in August, Dean is expecting a different sort of match this time around.

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"It's a different game at Cliftonhill, the park is smaller and it's not the greatest pitch, so it's usually more of a battle.

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"At home we can get the ball down and pass it, and I think when we do that we're as good as anyone.

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"If we can do that properly on Saturday I'm confident we can get a good result."

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First team coach Stevie Findlay agrees about the importance of the game.

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"It's a massive game, but it's not a game to be fearful of.

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"We'll be galvanised, we've regrouped, and we'll do our best to put things right."

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Findlay confirmed that defender David Brownlie has resumed training and should be fit for selection, but Adam Brown, Marc Fitzpatrick and Matthew Kerr continue to miss out for the Diamonds.

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Referee Alan Newlands is in charge of the derby clash, his first Airdrie tie this season.