Lewis Strapp says Saturday’s disappointment can fuel Airdrie as they prepare to take on league leaders Falkirk in Tuesday’s rearranged fixture.

The Diamonds went down 4-1 to Ayr United at Somerset Park at the weekend, and speaking after the match, defender Strapp said the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the players.

“The gaffer prepped us right and we knew exactly what we were going to be coming in to. We knew it was going to be a rough and tumble game and setpieces were going to be a massive part of it.

“We just weren’t at it, and that’s on the boys. Coming down here we knew it was going to be tough, and they’ve shown us that.

“It’s maybe given us a wee dunt that we need. Things have been quite good form-wise since the turn of the year, but we can’t think about this result now – we need to go and iron this out on Tuesday.”

A quick turnaround after a bad result is always a welcome prospect, but the visit of Championship table-toppers Falkirk is unlikely to provide an easy evening for the Diamonds.

The Bairns have been in rampant mood as they chase back-to-back promotions and a long-awaited return to the Premiership, and their impressive form has included two wins over the Diamonds.

Dylan Tait and Sean Mackie found the net in the closing 20 minutes as John McGlynn’s side claimed a 2-0 win in Airdrie back in September, and the result was repeated at the Falkirk Stadium in November, Keelan Adams and Calvin Miller on the scoresheet either side of half-time.

Strapp says the match, rescheduled after the original tie was postponed due to a frozen pitch, gives Airdrie’s players the chance to make amends for Saturday’s disappointment.

“I’m expecting a reaction, first and foremost. Obviously the boys know in there – we’re all a bit devastated, but on Tuesday we expect to go out there and for everyone to be at it. Even the boys coming off the bench, everybody needs to be ready to go.

“We’ve got ten games left, we can’t sit back and look at these results – we just need to keep looking forward.”

With pitch conditions a hot topic at the moment, the Diamonds will be glad to get back to the Albert Bartlett Stadium’s even surface – and with three home games in a row, Lewis believes it’s a chance to get points on the board before having to address the issue of away form.

“At home it’s maybe a wee bit different. You see the pitch today – obviously they just nullified all our strengths, and on Tuesday you might see a different team.

“That’s one of the issues we might have. We can’t be a team that’s struggling to play away from home. All the boys know this, so we need to be at it.

“You look at Cappielow, and up at Partick Thistle – we were probably unlucky that we’ve not taken six points. Especially at Cappielow, we thought we’d get the three after going ahead twice. Away from home we need to start picking up results.”

Manager Rhys McCabe added: “The games are coming thick and fast so I can’t dwell too much on the performance and the result. We’ve got to make sure we look to the next one and try to rectify what went wrong today.

“Falkirk are a good side, they’re sitting there top of the league and they’ve played some really good football throughout the season. Most of the games that we’ve played against them have been fairly competitive.

“I’d fully expect them to be coming to our place with confidence given the fact that they’re up the top end of the table. We know that we’re down the opposite end and we’re fighting and scrapping for everything we can. We expect a tough game.”

Referee Iain Snedden was in charge of the recent 2-1 home win over Queen’s Park, as well as October’s defeat at Partick Thistle.

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