The second Monklands derby of the season ended in a stalemate, though Airdrie will feel they did enough to take all three points.

 

Both clubs went into the match looking to bounce back from defeat the week before. On loan Dundee keeper Kyle Gourlay started in goal following Rohan Ferguson absence through injury.   

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David Brownlie with his first goal and Scott Stewart scored for the Diamonds but it was the 11th Monklands league derby in succession where the home side were unable to emerge with all three points. 

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Airdrie started brightly as Ryan Conroy overhit a through ball for Willis Furtado on five minutes while a minute later Connor Shields sent in a cross that Gourlay took cleanly.

 

A free kick in 11 minutes from Tom Fry almost picked out the inrushing Stewart who just failed to connect with the ball.

 

Former Diamond Scott McLaughlin delivered a 16th minute corner that had the home defence needing to react and the ball came back in his direction, but his second cross to the back post but was not met by a Rovers player.        

Brownlie joined the attack on 20 minutes for Fry’s free kick after Stewart’s run in midfield was abruptly halted. The defender headed the ball wide of the target.

 

Two minutes later at the other end a weak passback by Jordan McGregor had the home side under pressure but fortunately the ball ran kindly for Gourlay who gathered low.  

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With 24 minutes gone Airdrie took the lead. Fry’s corner from the left had the Rovers keeper Graham Bowman and the defence fail to clear their lines and Brownlie stepped in to force the ball over the line and open the scoring. 

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A spell of Diamonds pressure followed but in the 36th minute the Rovers had the equaliser after Jordan McGregor was turned by Shields and then his curling cross saw Alan Trouten race behind Brownlie and Gourlay to send the ball into the net.

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It took Airdrie some time to react but on the stroke of half time they had restored their advantage. Furtado and Stewart linked well from inside Rovers half to inside the box courtesy of some nice one-two play before Stewart went on to slide the ball under Bowman at his near post.    

 

Three minutes after the restart a Fry turn and shot hit the crossbar and went wide.

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Two poor challenges inside six minutes saw defender Jason Marr pick up bookings and a red card in 54 minutes reducing the visitors to ten.

 

The visitors robust style saw the card count increase but in 65 minutes they levelled after substitute Joao Vitoria set up Gary Fisher to score from ten yards.

 

Shields raced clear of McGregor in 71 minutes then blazed a shot from inside the box high over Gourlay’s goal.

 

Fry was on the end of a good run by Stewart but sent his angled effort off target in 77 minutes with Furtado on the end of Kieran MacDonald’s cross four minutes later and he also failed to test the keeper.

 

Five minutes remained when Jake Hastie sent in a header from Fry’s fee kick which Bowman collected.

 

McLaughlin had been booked earlier in the second half and picked up another after pulling an opponent back in stoppage time to see red and reduce Rovers to nine.

 

Conroy’s resultant free kick from 25 yards out was wide of the goal.  

 

In the third minute of time added on a shot from Furtado struck the post and rolled along the line with the full time whistle coming not long after, leaving both sides with a point.   

 

Referee: Mr Alan Newlands

Attendance: 960