The pitch was better than anticipated - but Airdrie manager Ian Murray says getting the chance to play their own game against Queen's Park will give them an added edge.
A bobbly Firhill surface played host to the Championship play-off final first leg as the Diamonds secured a 1-1 draw.
Simon Murray had put the Spiders ahead but a late Rhys McCabe penalty swung the tie back towards Murray's men five minutes from time.
His team finished the League One season 20 games unbeaten and now stand 90 minutes away from playing Championship football for the first time since 2013.
It was a tough night in Maryhill but the Penny Cars Stadium boss is just delighted they'll go there with parity restored.
He said: “It is finally poised at the moment but Queen’s Park will be saying the exact same thing as us.
“It’s half time in the tie and it’s all to play for now on Sunday. We’ll be happy to get back to our own pitch as that was hard for us.
"We were below our usual quality but we did the other side of the game well, particularly in the first half. The pitch was actually a bit better than expected and the rain helped that.
"It did mean though the bobbles were a bit quicker, and we saw that with a few basic errors. We are quite happy to get out of here with a draw. There’s no excuses on Sunday when we can get the ball down.”
A large home crowd awaits Airdrie after they turned out in numbers for their dramatic semi-final second leg victory over Montrose.
Murray hopes that is the case as the North Lanarkshire side now quickly prepare for their final date with destiny.
The former Hibs and Rangers player added: "We always wanted the second leg at home and we are going to have a big support behind us then which will be vital.
"We hope we can as many in as we can. The players have helped the supporters get up for it and they can now help us get over the line."
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