Ian Murray admits Airdrie’s epic comeback win over Montrose was ridiculous - but warned they can’t afford to give themselves another mountain to climb when they face Diamonds legend Owen Coyle’s Queen’s Park in the final.
Murray’s men produced a comeback for the ages on Saturday when they clawed their way back from the death to keep their Championship promotion dream alive.
They looked dead and buried in the tie at 3-0 down and then 4-1 down with 20 minutes remaining.
But they pulled off an astonishing revival to win 6-5 on aggregate after extra-time, with Callum Smith hitting a second half hat-trick followed by goals from Calum Gallagher, Jon Afolabi and Gabby McGill.
A first leg clash against the Spiders at Firhill tomorrow night will be followed by the return leg at New Broomfield on Sunday.
And while Murray lauded his side for their heroics, he knows they must improve for the challenges ahead.
He said: “We know it’s going to be tight.
“It’s a final over two legs so it’s slightly different to your average final.
“It’s a chance for one of us to get into the Championship and it would be an incredible achievement for whoever gets through. Both teams are desperate to win it.
“Queen’s Park have done fantastically well to overcome Dunfermline, but we go into it off the back of a ridiculous game.
“To score six goals against Montrose in 75 minutes is just ridiculous, unbelievable.
“But we know we need to be better than that - we know we won’t get away with that too often and we need to be mindful of that for these next two games.
“We’ll get lots of plaudits for the Montrose game but the real goal now is to get through these next two games and we are delighted to be in that final.”
The Airdrie faithful proved to be the ‘12th man’ on Saturday as they helped haul their team from the canvas and cheer them on to the euphoric scenes at the final whistle, which saw hundreds of fans stream onto the pitch in celebration.
And Murray added: “The fans were different class, honestly, they were amazing.
“I’m so proud of the players but I’m also proud of the fans as well.
“The adulation they gave us at the end on Saturday was great, but I think it was mutual.
“We were giving it back to them because it’s a real team effort here - from the fans right down to the guys on the medical side of it, the paramedics, and the folk at the reception.
“It’s been a fantastic season but I ain’t ready to stop yet.
“We’ve got more in the tank.”
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