Brechin City boss Ray McKinnon could not hide his disappointment after his team came back from Airdrie empty-handed after a last-minute goal sealed the win for the Diamonds.
He said: “We started well and were really on fire in the opening quarter of an hour and deservedly took the lead.
“We then needlessly gave away a free-kick, which led to Airdrie’s equaliser and we committed the same mistake again right at the finish, which led to Airdrie’s winner.
“We warned the players at half-time about conceding free-kicks in dangerous areas so it’s disappointing that recklessness on our part contributed to our defeat.
“I didn’t think we deserved to win the game as there was a lack of spark about us in the second-half but I also didn’t think that Airdrie were all that threatening, so to end up losing a goal right at the death is extremely disappointing.”
Despite the defeat, the manager was full of praise for new signing Garry Kenneth after his debut.
“Garry hasn’t played for a while but he absolutely strolled through the game today and he’ll be a real asset in the weeks ahead,” said McKinnon.
City started really well and totally dominated the opening stages, with Allan Walker and Andy Jackson hitting the crossbar and post respectively early on and their pressure paid off after quarter of an hour when Robert Thomson collected a good pass from Paul McLean in the penalty box and fired home a great right-foot drive.
The visitors did not have time to celebrate, however, as the Diamonds drew level just a minute later when Ross Gilmour tapped in a free-kick taken by Caolan McAleer.
The second-half was evenly matched with clear-cut goal-scoring chances at a premium but the home side made the vital breakthrough at the death when Gregor Buchanan headed home a McAleer free-kick.