Airdrieonians prepare for a televised Lanarkshire derby against Hamilton Academical this Saturday, looking to extend an eight-match unbeaten run. The League One clash at the Albert Bartlett Stadium kicks off at 5:30pm, with manager John Rankin demanding improvement from the 4-0 loss at New Douglas Park last time.
John Rankin said: "We need to be improved, that’s first and foremost. When we went to New Douglas Park it was nowhere near good enough." The squad has been bolstered by the return of Callum Burnside and Josh Gentles from midweek KDM Evolution Trophy duty, where they beat Hearts B. Player-assistant manager Declan Gallagher, who joined in July, observed that victory from the sidelines.
Injuries continue to affect selection, with Cole McKinnon, Zac Butterworth and Liam McLeish all sidelined. The team's recent form shows one win, one draw and three defeats in their last five league outings, a sequence of LDLLW. Their last result was a 3-2 victory over Hearts U21 in the Challenge Cup on Tuesday 13 October, with goals from Rhys Tumilty, David Iserhienrhien and Kelvin Boateng overturning a two-goal deficit. Tumilty scored just before half-time, with Iserhienrhien and Boateng completing the comeback in the second half.
That comeback followed a 2-2 draw away to East Kilbride on Saturday 10 October, where Josh Gentles and Gallagher found the net. Prior to that, the team secured a 1-0 win over Montrose on Saturday 3 October, and recorded emphatic victories against Berwick Rangers (7-1) and Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic (6-1) in late September. Referee Cameron Stirling will take charge of Saturday's derby, assisted by Colin Drummond and Steven G. Spence, with Stuart Broadfoot as fourth official. Tickets for the match are available online, with DiamondsTV providing video and audio streams for subscribers outside the UK and Ireland.
