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OUR dreams of gaining promotion to the Championship at the first time of asking were shattered in the most painful of fashions on a night of high drama at The Penny Cars Stadium.

Skipper Mitch Megginson, who was forced off with an injury in the first half, nodded us ahead, only for slack defending to allow Calum Gallagher to pull Airdrie level almost immediately.

Rory McAllister then looked to have won it when he lashed home our second…in the second minute of injury-time.

To everyone’s horror, we then failed to cope with a long ball into our box – which allowed Diamonds substitute Jack McKay in to equalise again in the fourth minute added time.

That meant extra-time – during which we were again caught out by a cross and Gallagher pounced to score what ended up being the winner.

A rollercoaster of a match also included Scott Ross then seeing a header come off the underside of the Airdrie crossbar instead of going in.

As if that wasn’t frustrating enough, manager Paul Hartley was shown a red card for reacting to seeing us denied a penalty right at the death, for what looked like a blatant foul on Fraser Fyvie.

It wasn’t to be though, so it’s Airdrie who go on to face Morton, in the play-off final.

It was the cruelest of endings to a season that the players and staff had given their all in, only to come up short at the final stages.

Third place in League One and a play-off spot is still something they can be proud of – but they will also see this as an opportunity missed.

We were by far the better footballing side over the two legs and created the most chances,  but let ourselves down by failing to deal with high balls into our area when it mattered most.

The manager showed faith in the same eleven who had started the first match and we looked the better side from the off.

Airdrie weren’t helped by losing the experienced Paul Paton through injury, after just five minutes.

He was replaced by Kyle Connell, who himself would finish the night being stretchered off after suffering a head knock.

Our opener, in the 15th minute, came after Scott Ross had been fouled right in the corner of the pitch, out on the right.

Connor Scully took the free-kick and his perfectly flighted cross to the front post was delicately head-flicked on into the far corner by MEGGINSON.

Hopes of building on that were ended when Airdrie equalised just three minutes later.

Substitute Connell’s cross from the left was allowed to go straight across the six yard box and GALLAGHER was at the back post to score with a close range header.

Things looked even bleaker when Megginson went off injured just five minutes later, but his replacement, Connor Smith, proved to be a handful for the Airdrie defence.

Within a minute of coming on, Smith was fouled just outside the home area.

McAllister took the free-kick but his powerful effort went wide.

We then had a penalty appeal turned away, after a Scully shot was blocked, just before Fyvie fired a shot over from 18-yards.

We spent the rest of the half pushing hard for a second, with Airdrie’s only real threat coming from when they got the chance to launch long throw-ins into the area.

The best football came from us, which included Smith turning well at the edge of the area to rifle in a shot that went just wide of Airdrie keeper Max Currie’s left post.

Currie then rescued Airdrie with a fine save, in the 32nd minute.

Fyvie played a clever one-two, on the move, with McAllister and the midfielder’s drive from 18-yards was heading in until Currie tipped the ball over his crossbar.

Scully also crossed from the right for Ross Graham to knock the ball down to Ryan Strachan and his net-bound volley was deflected just wide by a home defender.

We began the second half strongly too.

Callum Fordyce was booked for a foul on Fyvie 25-yards out.

Scully took the kick, but his effort lacked power and was easily gathered by Currie.

The lively Smith also laid the ball off to Blair Yule, but his effort from the edge of the area went wide.

Broque Watson was brought on in the 73rd minute, just before Smith sent a 20-yard shot wide,  after having latched on to McAllister’s lay-off.

Fyvie also hammered a 20-yard shot over the Airdrie bar as the game moved into the final 10 minutes.

We looked to have won it when Yule played the ball to McALLISTER in the second minute of injury-time and the striker turned quickly to drill a low 16-yard shot into the net.

Our joy turned to despair in the fourth minute of time added on, when Airdrie keeper Currie lumped the ball forward from inside his own half into our area.

When we failed to clear Jack McKAY battered the ball home to take a tie that was so close to being ours into extra-time.

We continued to look the more likely to win until the 108th minute, when Craig Thomson’s cross from the right wasn’t cut out and GALLAGHER appeared to bundle the ball home.

Our lads had a gallant go at saving the tie and continued to go toe-toe with Airdrie.

Kieran Ngwenya’s cross from the left reached Scott Ross, just beyond the far post, and he just couldn’t get the right connection on the ball as it rolled inches wide.

Ross was even unluckier in the 112th minute, when Scully sent a corner from the right over to him at the back post.

The defender’s header back across beat Currie but the ball rebounded to safety off the underside of the Airdrie crossbar and was then booted clear.

We had what looked like a stonewall penalty appeal brushed away by referee Colin Steven right at the death, after Fyvie was chopped down in the area.

Manager Hartley was red carded in the final seconds, for showing his frustration, but you could hardly blame him.

Our lads definitely deserved better than to see a crazy, stop-start, season ending in a defeat that will hurt right through the summer.

AIRDRIEONIANS: Currie, Turner, McCann, Kerr, Fordyce, P McKay, Gallagher, Ritchie  (Robert 65), Carrick (Thomson 98), Walker, Paton (Connell 5) (J McKay 83)

Subs: McNeil, Crighton, Roy.

COVE RANGERS: McKenzie, Scott Ross, Ngwenya, Strachan, Graham,Yule, Scully, Fyvie, McIntosh,  (Watson 73), McAllister, Megginson (Smith 23).

Subs: Higgins, Livingstone, Seb Ross, Logan, Demus.

Referee: Colin Steven.

Airdrie Reaction: The Manager & Mitch »