Graeme Smith insists rock- bottom Brechin City’s players must take more responsibility and admits this is no time for excuses.
The Glebe Park men are a point behind at the foot of the Ladbrokes League One table and four adrift of automatic safety after Saturday’s reverse at New Broomfield.
A deflected second-half goal from midfielder Liam Watt earned Airdrie a much-needed first victory in four games but left City in deep trouble.
Now keeper Smith wants Brechin’s flagging campaign, and their bid for a top-four finish, to be relaunched next weekend when Albion Rovers visit Angus.
The 32-year-old said: “We’re disappointed to lose the game as we came here with the intention of closing the gap to the promotion play-off places and now we’re nine points away.
“There wasn’t much between the teams as is the case throughout the league but I thought we had more shots, particularly in the first half. We’re conceding soft goals and we know we need to do better, and do more as a group, to get out of the position we are in.
“You can come up with excuses when you’re sitting at the bottom of the table. But the training is good and the way the team is set up is good so the players need to take more responsibility.
“It’s a case now of getting back on track next week. What’s done is done and we have to move on and look to improve.”
City had the better of the opening stages with Robert Thomson and Dene Shields shooting wide either side of Willie Dyer’s corner striking the post. But their good work was undone in the 47th minute when Watt curled home with the aid of a heavy deflection.
Brechin player/manager Darren Dods said: “We worked hard and the attitude was good but we never got going in the second half and didn’t create enough chances.”