Airdrie endured a disappointing campaign that resulted in them missing out on promotion in the playoffs. Many feel, though, that the Diamonds were lucky to come in third place after a thoroughly mixed season in which they had the poorest defensive record in the league. When the season started with Kevin McBride in charge, they were actually going quite well, but a change of management midway through saw the manager’s position undermined, and despite being in the midst of a good run of form, he was sacked. In came Mark Wilson, whose record was mediocre. When he took charge of the side, they were on an upward trajectory, though seven points behind leaders Livingston after 11 matches. By the end of the season, Airdrie would trail the champions by 29 marks, losing nearly one a game under the new management. On the plus side, they did finish the campaign quite well, with Wilson abandoning the 4-2-3-1 or variants thereof for a three-man central defensive corps that helped the team somewhat. Simon Mensing was signed in January and after a poor start to life at New Broomfield gradually improved, becoming a strong performer by the playoffs came around. Those alongside him, however, typically struggled badly, with Joe Gorman erratic after a positive start and goalkeeper Rohan Ferguson making a number of costly mistakes. Airdrie’s small playing pool, which was a cost of their full-time status, meant they did not have an adequate back up. Where they did impress, though, was in an attacking capacity. Iain Russell bagged a healthy number of goals, but there was little doubt that Airdrie’s star man was Andy Ryan, whose abilities almost single handily kept them in the race for promotion. Understating how important he was to the side is impossible, but with other clubs circling, it is hard to see how Airdrie could keep such a talent on their books over the summer. Replacing him will be one of their major tests for next term.
