Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe admits their defeat to Livingston was a ‘sickener’ after failing to capitalise on their first half dominance in last night’s 3-0 reverse.
The Diamonds were undone by a Stevie May double and a header from Matthew Clarke, leaving them nine points behind Dunfermline at the foot of the table.
Gavin Gallagher fired narrowly wide after just six minutes, while two minutes later Lewis McGregor’s pass couldn’t quite pick out Chris Mochrie for a clear effort at goal.
The Diamonds went close when Chris Mochrie’s cutback found McGregor 10 yards out and his effort was blocked and the rebound fell to Adam Frizzell, who was denied by Lions keeper Jerome Prior.
But May opened the scoring for the visitors in 35 minutes, when he hammered in a low cross from Tete Yengi. They doubled their lead in the 56th minute when Clarke headed home from a McAlear corner.
And May sealed it in 67 minutes when he got on the end Daniel Finlayson’s cross to score.
Gutted McCabe said: “I thought we started the better team and for the first 45 minutes we were certainly the team with the best chances, and looked the most dangerous.
“It was probably about capitalising on those moments and could we take them. I thought we looked a threat and the two up front gave them all sorts of problems in the first half but, gradually, in the second half we didn’t perform at the same level.
“When Livingston score the first goal and then the second, it is a bit of a sickener because I thought the first part of the game we were well in it.
“That’s where we are at the moment in terms of lucky. If you are flying high and everything is rosy, you probably go and take one or two of those chances in the first half, and certainly make better decisions.
“But teh harsh reality is we didn’t and that gave Livingston a lifeline. If we’d be ahead at half-time nobody would have had any complaints. It is about moments in games and having that killer instinct when you are on top. It’s a sore one to take.”
Airdrie now welcome Partick Thistle to New Broomfield on Saturday, still chasing their first league win since the opening day of the season on August 3.