Callum Fordyce says the Championship play-off final came down to which team had the “bigger cojones” – and Airdrie ultimately fell short.
Queen’s Park ran out 2-1 winners in the second leg at New Broomfield on Sunday, adding to a 1-1 draw on Thursday, to earn promotion to the Championship.
But Airdrie captain Fordyce says his side have been through this before, and will bounce back from it, just as they did after last season’s final defeat to Morton.
Rhys McCabe’s free-kick strike had given Airdrie and early lead, but Connor Smith levelled, and Simon Murray netted a penalty winner late into extra-time.
The 29-year-old defender said: “You’re gutted. You work all season. Football is a cruel game, but that’s play-off football – it’s two cup ties you’re playing for, the league position doesn’t actually matter when you go into that.
“It’s basically who’s got the bigger cojones to go and win the game, and unfortunately we’ve fell short. I think over the two games we probably didn’t do enough, or play our usual stuff, but that’s football.
“Football comes down to fine margins, and to get beat by a penalty kick is obviously a sickening blow, but we’ve fallen that bit short.”
Fordyce says there have been plenty of plaudits for Airdrie this season, but winning is far more important.
The 29-year-old defender said: “We’ve had a great season, we can’t take that away, and people come up to you and say you’re the best footballing side – but that means nothing, it’s about winning games and getting up.
“It’s all great to play nice football, but realistically you just want to win games.
“Credit to Queen’s Park – they came here, they’re a good, experienced side and hard to beat, and they maybe did a wee bit more than us on the day.
“But we bounce back from this and regroup, just the exact same as we did last year.
“We’ll get a well-earned rest, because the boys will say there are a lot of tired legs in there.
“You get your three or four weeks off and then you go again – that’s all you can do. The manager will recruit some players and that’s the story of football. It’s like a roundabout, it just keeps going.
“You’ve got to have that fire in your belly to go and win games.”
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