Player-boss Rhys McCabe admits Airdrie 'put the knife in' to Falkirk in their second leg tie after killing off the Bairns' promotion bid with an empathic aggregate victory in the Championship play-off semi-final.
With the hard work already done in midweek thanks to a thumping 6-2 first leg win, the Diamonds knew they just had to wait for their moment to strike in the second leg to finish the job.
And Gabby McGill showed the killer instinct required to bury a first-half chance and put the final nail in the coffin of Falkirk's season with a professional job.
McCabe, whose side now face Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Accies in the final, said: "We said to the boys we weren't coming here to be pushovers or give them any hope.
"We've come here and we've put the knife right into their back.
"We knew Falkirk would have to come out and leave themselves open to opportunities that would arise.
"It was important we dealt with the game in the early stages, quieten the crowd and really sap their confidence.
"The goal comes at a good time.
"I've got a good record here as a player and in the years I've come here I don't think Airdrie have lost here, so there is a wee bit of pride among the targets we set.
"It was fairly easy to get them motivated. They are professionals at the end of the day. We were never going to come here and accept a 2-0 or 3-0 loss, and scrape through.
"I was adamant we weren't going to sit back and hold on to our lead, we came here to win the game.
"I think you saw that. We managed to soak it up and be clever in terms of how we approached the game.
"The fans travelled in their numbers and you saw throughout the game when players went off that they really appreciated their efforts."
McGill netted his 12th goal in his last 11 games for the Diamonds and fans might be a bit concerned to see him hobble off with a knock midway through the second half.
But McCabe says his striker will be fine for the final.
He added: "Gabby is good. He puts a lot of effort in off the ball and he was excellent.
"Sometimes you've got to do a donkey shift, as I call it, and he just felt a little bit tight.
"Having that luxury of the goals cushion, we didn't want to risk anything."
On the clash with Hamilton, McCabe said: "We've kind of done our little bits of homework on Hamilton and the work starts now to make sure we go out and play our game."
Airdrie host Hamilton at New Broomfield on Wednesday night and then travel to New Douglas Park next Saturday.
Follow Lanarkshire Live Sport on Twitter via @LanLiveSport, like us on Facebook or find us on Instagram for the latest sports news, pictures and video.
