Airdrie extended their unbeaten run to four matches after Calum Gallagher's seventh goal of the season was enough to edge out Kelty Hearts.
A last-gasp goal in a 1-0 win for Kelty in October settled the previous meeting between the sides in Fife and it was fine margins again at New Broomfield, as Gallagher popped up in the 70th minute for the decisive moment in the match when he netted a rebound from a Lewis Jamieson strike.
Kelty threw everything at the Diamonds in the final five minutes but they held firm to take all three points.
It is Airdrie's third win in their last four outings but they remain sixth in League One, a point off fifth place Alloa but a huge 10 points adrift of leaders Dunfermline.
The Diamonds made one change from last week’s 1-1 draw with Peterhead as Dean McMaster came in for player-boss Rhys McCabe, who started on the bench.
Former Airdrie man Sott McGill, who played a big part in their run to the Championship play-off final last season, was among the substitutes for a Kelty side boasting plenty of SPFL experience in the likes of Joe Cardle, captain Kallum Higginbotham and Jason Thomson.
The first clear chance of the match arrived in the seventh minute and it came for the hosts. Justin Devenny did well out wide to turn back and create space for a cross. His delivery was whipped into the centre of the box and Craig Watson should have done better with his header, which he couldn't keep on target.
McCabe's men continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession and eventually carved out another good opportunity in 22 minutes when a cross from the left was headed back towards goal by Callum Fordyce and when the ball was laid off to Cammy Ballantyne, the right-back's weak left-footed effort was comfortably saved by Darren Jamieson in the Kelty goal.
A Charlie Telfer corner kick was then turned onto the crossbar by the head of a Kelty defender, a Ballantyne drive drifted wide and a thumping 18-yard strike from Callum Smith stung the hands of Jamieson as the Diamonds kept pushing for the opener.
It took Kelty 40 minute to create their first real attempt on goal and Reiss Peggie will feel he should have done better when a well-worked moved found him at the back post, but he skewed a low strike wide of the target.
A head knock between Smith and Thomson just before the break resulted in the latter eventually being forced off as he was unable to continue. He was replaced by Thomas O'Ware moments before referee Colin Steven sounded his half-time whistle.
In the second half, Airdrie picked up where they left off and last week's goalscorer, Lewis Jamieson, was next to try his luck in the 56th minute, with a low drive that his namesake got down to well in the middle of the goal.
Jamieson had another good chance two minutes later when Euan Deveney clipped the ball to the back post, but the ball skimmed off the top of the striker's head and away from danger.
Alfredo Agyeman stung the Diamonds the last time the sides met and his drive from 20 yards stung the hands of Dean Lyness after an hour, as the visitors reminded Airdrie of their threat.
And Agyeman caused havoc just a minute later when his bursting run dowe the right led to him getting a cross in. The delivery deflected off of Fordyce straight into the path of Cardle for him to hit on the volley, and Lyness made a top instinctive save to get his body in the way and divert it behind.
McGill was brought on for Cardle against his old side and he almost came back to haunt them with what would have been his first touch when Cammy Logan's defence-splitting pass looked to have sent him through one-on-one with Lyness, but the Diamonds keeper came rushing out of his box quickly to nip it off his toes and clear.
Seconds after that scare, Airdrie broke the deadlock. A good move worked space for Jamieson to fire at goal. His namesake could only the parry the ball to the feet of Gallagher and the hitman made no mistake to fire home the rebound after 70 minutes.
Smith came close to adding a second goal for the Diamonds eight minutes later when he saw two strikes blocked in quick succession inside the Kelty box, with Airdrie looking to finish their opponents off.
With five minutes remaining Jamieson was once again denied as he blasted the ball at goal for an acute angle, and Darren Jamieson managed to smother the shot.
In 87 minutes Airdrie breathed a huge sigh of relief as Kyle Doherty was a whisker away from glancing McGill's cross into the far corner for Kelty.
The visitors threw the kitchen sink at their hosts in the final few minutes, but the Diamonds defence put bodies on the line to deny Doherty and Jamie Barjonas in the closing stages.
Airdrie are back in action next Saturday when they turn their attention to Scottish Cup third round action, with a trip to face Championship side Dundee.
AIRDRIEONIANS: Lyness, Deveney, Ballantyne, Fordyce, Watson, McMaster, Jamieson, Devenny, Telfer, Smith, Gallagher.
Scorers: Gallagher 70
Bookings: Fordyce, Ballantyne, Gallagher
Subs not used: Henderson, Taylor-Sinclair, McCabe, Fellows, Watt, Gunn, Kavanagh, Spalding.
KELTY: Jamieson, Forster, Logan, Martin (Doherty 81), Peggie, Thomson (O'Ware 45), Barjonas, Cardle (McGill 69), Lyon, Higginbotham, Agyeman.
Scorers:
Bookings: Agyeman
Subs not used: Campbell, McNab, Cameron.
Referee: Colin Steven
HT: 0-0
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