Barry Smith’s East Fife made it seven games on the bounce without defeat as they returned from the Excelsior Stadium with a deserved point.
The Fife gaffer says his players are making life easy for themselves on the park due to their work ethic.
It’s a sign of how far the Methil club have come in recent weeks that there was an air of disappointment about returning to Bayview with just the one point to show for their efforts against the full-time Diamonds.
The Fifers had looked to be on course for all three until a late Airdrie leveller.
Smith handed a debut to Nicki Paterson in midfield.
The 31-year-old started his career at Motherwell but has spent the majority of his time since playing in the USA.
It was a scrappy start to the game with neither side really troubling the opposition’s keeper. It took a good 20 minutes for anything resembling an effort on goal to appear, with Ross Brown’s snapshot from a Mark Lamont corner clearing the Airdrie bar.
It was the hosts who snatched the lead in fine fashion.
A swift counter-attack up the park saw Scott Stewart and Adam Brown link up well. Brown moved the ball out to the lethal Andy Ryan and he calmly slotted past Mark Hurst for his 15th goal of the season.
East Fife have been in a rich vein of form, having won their last six games in all competitions and on the stroke of half-time they pulled level when Jason Kerr nodded home a Lamont corner.
The second half started with the hosts throwing everything at the Fifers as they tried to get their noses in front again and Hurst had to be at his very best to tip a Brown drive around the corner as Airdrie probed.
Then Daniel Boateng went close for the Diamonds as his header flashed past the post.
After a spell of Fifers pressure they grabbed the game’s third goal. James Penrice whipped in an excellent delivery to the box where Brown was the first to meet it and slam his close-range header beyond Rohan Ferguson.
With the clock ticking down Airdrie grabbed an equaliser when sub Jack McKay squared for Jack Leitch to bundle home.
