REGARDLESS of the outcome of last night’s crunch clash at Clyde, Kenny Black summed up Airdrie United’s worrying predicament in three words. “We’ve got problems,” said the Diamonds boss after yet another frustrating 90 minutes of raised hope, under-achievement and dejection. This 2-1 defeat to the Jags coupled with Clyde’s 1-0 win at home to Dundee on Saturday meant last night’s battle of the bottom two had taken on even greater significance. In short, Black’s troops made the short trip to Cumbernauld knowing defeat was not an option while victory wouldn’t heal all of their ills. These are testing times for the manager and Airdrie. The transfer window is within touching distance but key games must be negotiated before the wheeling and dealing can begin. On the evidence of the weekend’s offering at Firhill, Black will have to be active in the market from the moment it opens for business. His side took the lead against Thistle thanks to Simon Lynch’s clinical strike but sloppy defending allowed Gary Harkins to draw the hosts level. Ian McCall’s charges made a whirlwind start to the second half and were given a helping hand in capitalising on their domination, with Airdrie’s Scott McLaughlin putting the ball through his own net. A couple of McLaughlin long-range efforts apart, the Diamonds rarely threatened to nick a point as they lacked boldness and enterprise, desire and drive in attack. “We aren’t scoring enough goals but that’s not just down to the strikers,” Black said. “I don’t think we get enough deliveries into the box and there aren’t enough options when we go forward. “We contribute to our own downfall. The goals we are conceding just now are an absolute joke and if we continue to do that, we will be at the bottom for a long time. “I think everyone has to take more responsibility. You can’t get away with putting in a performance once every three or four weeks. “We have to take more pride in our performance because I sometimes wonder if we get that.” Fresh faces in the squad are a must for Black who admitted those not currently in possession of a starting jersey are coming up short in their quest to win one. Still, the deficiencies of some should not automatically give others carte blanche to coast their way through games. Several players are failing to justify their inclusion on a regular basis and Black will need to ask himself if their performances would be better than displays from those waiting in the wings. Kevin McDonald and Steven McDougall were two who seriously under-performed in Glasgow’s West End. Central midfielder McDonald once again made little impact in defence or attack and was rightly taken off midway through the second half. On the right-hand side, McDougall failed to cause Jags wing-back Kevin McKinlay any problems and was ineffective when he got the ball. There is no doubting he has many attributes to be a top player but, for the moment, he is not delivering the goods and given Airdrie’s lowly position, the industry and heart provided by Darren Smith might be a better bet. Elsewhere, Matt Hazley is struggling to recapture the sort of form he was showing at left-back before his injury lay-off. Down the flank, Joe Cardle is a willing runner but needs to increase production. Black has little scope for shaking things up in the last two games before the opening of the window so he will need to rely on he and his backroom team’s skills as well as a sharp improvement in the players’ form if fortunes are to be revived. Airdrie opened the scoring in the 14th minute through Lynch. He reacted quickly to a Willie Kinniburgh error after Cardle’s pass found Paul Di Giacomo in the box. But the lead lasted just five minutes. The Diamonds lost possession in midfield with Mark Roberts sliding the ball into the path of Harkins who beautifully chipped the ball over keeper Stephen Robertson. Partick created a handful of chances before going in front in the 62nd minute. Roberts’ back post cross for Harkins was inadvertently lashed into the net by McLaughlin who was trying to clear the danger. The home side could have sealed success with four minutes remaining when McKinlay’s brilliant run resulted in a shot that was turned wide at his near post by Robertson. “We are pretty gutted,” said Lynch. “We made a great start but when you are down at the bottom of the table it is hard to pick up points. “I’ve never been in a position like this before and I wouldn’t want to be again. But it is a test of character and a case of having to rise to the challenge.” Standing up and being counted is the challenge for Airdrie over the coming weeks. The time for action is now. Advertiser man of the match (3pts) - Scott McLaughlin. Midfielder did well throughout despite second half own goal. Bobby Donnelly (2pts), Simon Lynch (1pt). Moment of the match: Gary Harkins’ equaliser was a sickener for the Diamonds. Partick: Tuffey, Storey, Kinniburgh, Maxwell (Archibald 7), Paton, Rowson, Harkins, Turner (Twaddle 45), McKinlay, Buchanan, Roberts (Donnelly 70). Subs not used: Chaplain, Hinchcliffe(gk). Airdrie: Robertson, Smyth, Donnelly, McKenna, Hazley (Noble 79), McDougall, McDonald (Brown 67), McLaughlin, Cardle, Di Giacomo, Lynch. Subs not used: Nixon, Smith, Hollis(gk). Booked: Donnelly, Cardle. Referee: Mike McCurry. Attendance: 2296 | 
Article
