Callum Smith says Airdrie must play like they did in the second half of their 1-1 draw with Peterhead, or they can’t expect to win games.
The Diamonds trailed League One’s basement side 1-0 at the interval, courtesy of Jason Brown’s 33rd-minute header.
But a much-improved second half performance saw Airdrie roar back at their visitors and Lewis Jamieson popped up with an 88th-minute equaliser.
Smith admits Airdrie’s first-half performance left a lot to be desired, but they were much better after the interval.
He said: “We got there in the end but we didn’t get what we wanted – we wanted the win, obviously, especially being at home.
“If we start games like that then we can’t expect to win.
“We said that at half-time, came out again in the second half and I thought we were loads better.
“We kept the ball, dominated the game and got our goal in the end, but we really wanted a few more.
“It was one of those days when it just wasn’t going for us – especially in the first half when we had a few cleared off the line – but credit to them, they defended really well in the box.
“LJ is doing well, especially in and around the box. He’s sharp, he’s quick, and he’s getting his goals from it, so we just need to keep doing that.
“If we keep playing the way we did in the second half we’ll not be far away from getting results, so that’s our objective from now.
“It’s another game unbeaten, so you can kind of take the positives from that as well.
“That’s three on the bounce now, we’re back at home next week, so we’re obviously looking to build on that again.”
Smith was the victim of a mid-shin high challenge from defender Andrew McDonald as the Airdrie star tried to race up the pitch, and reckons his opponent should have been sent packing by referee Barry Cook.
He said: “I would say it should have been a red card. He was nowhere near the ball, it was very high and reckless, so those three things indicate that it’s a red card.
“He’s nowhere near the ball, so in my eyes it’s a definite red card.”
Airdrie host eighth-placed Kelty Hearts on Saturday, looking for retribution after the Fifers bagged a late winner back in October.
He said: “They were at home the last time and they got their goal in the last five minutes.
“We know what they’re going to be like, they’re going to be hard to beat and well organised.
“We’ll do our homework on them during the week and we’ll be looking forward to it.”
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