Airdrie player-boss Rhys McCabe slammed his side’s ‘unacceptable’ defending in the defeat to Falkirk, but admitted he has to take responsibility for the Diamonds’ shortcomings as they dropped outside of the play-off spots in League One.
The Bairns bounced back from Calum Gallagher’s stunning lobbed opener for the hosts to run out comfortable winners, thanks to a Kai Kennedy double and a Gary Oliver strike.
The game turned on a missed Charlie Telfer penalty, which was saved by Bairns keeper Brian Kinnear, just before half-time with the game tied at 1-1.
But McCabe refused to blame that for the defeat and instead focused on his side’s dismal defending at the last two goals, with the midfielder feeling they took a backwards step after a resolute showing in the 1-1- draw with leaders Dunfermline the previous week.
“We are obviously disappointed,” he told the club media. “I don’t think we played particularly well throughout the game but we still had good chances and big moments in the game where, if we do better in those big moments, it could have been a better outcome.
“I thought first half they knocked the ball about reasonably well without carving us open too much.
“We were well-organised and we looked dangerous on the counter attack, making two or three good opportunities where we really exposed them.
“You are looking to capitalise on those chances but if you aren’t going to do that, then at the other end of the pitch you’ll get found out.
“We need to defend better. It is okay saying we should have taken these chances but, ultimately, the buck stops with us in terms of defending.
“It is not acceptable and I take responsibility for that because it is something that we work on. That is the frustrating part because you work on these things all week.
“Going back to the first Dunfermline game [a 4-3 defeat with 10 men], we worked a lot on the defensive unit, shape and organisation and we felt like we’d taken a step forward last week in terms of how we defended away at Dunfermline.
“You are thinking that is a wee platform and something to build on – then we go and defend like that, which is really disappointing.”
The result has left the Diamonds in fifth place and two points adrift of both FC Edinburgh and Alloa Athletic in the push for the play-off spots.
They now travel to eighth-place Queen of the South on Saturday.
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