This was a case of job competently done for Aidrie as they not only clung to their massive first-leg lead but extended it even further. Now, Rhys McCabe wants the Diamonds to show their true colours again in a mouthwatering Championship play-off final with Hamilton Accies.
There was little sense the visitors were intent on only protecting their convincing 6-2 advantage. As Falkirk huffed and puffed and Airdrie defended stoutly when required, Gabby McGill, with his 12th goal in the last 11 games, won the second-leg just before the break.
Falkirk needed a minor miracle - and an unlikely collapse from McCabe’s side - to cling to their own promotion hopes, but in reality the tie was already over and the Bairns already consigned to another wasteful year in League One.
There appeared little belief in the home ranks that a comeback was even possible, even if it seemed like a far-fetched fairytale. Toothless in attack, they failed to inspire the groundswell of hope they needed to pour down from the stands and onto the pitch.
In the end, it was Airdrie’s day, just as Tuesday had been overwhelmingly their night, and player-manager McCabe was thrilled with the way his side had handled what could have been a tricky occasion.
“We were never going to come here and accept a two or three-nil loss and scrape through,” he said. “I was adamant we weren’t coming here to sit back and hold onto the lead. I was coming here to win the game. I think you saw that.
“It was important we dealt with the early stages of the game, quietened the crowd and quietened Falkirk and sapped them of their confidence.
“We didn’t want to come here to be any pushovers, we told the players to give them nothing to give them a glimmer of hope. So, we came here and put the knife right into their backs.”
As if the excitement of a two-legged shot at promotion is not enough, Airdrie will now take on Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton on Wednesday and then Saturday with the second-tier beckoning for the first time in a decade.
“We need to make sure we go out and play our game,” added McCabe, who was fantastic marshalling his team from the heart of defence. “There’s a reason why we’re here [in the play-off final], there’s a reason why we turned over Falkirk. It’s because we played our style of football and that was evident in the first-leg.
“It’s making sure we go out there and play the game Airdrie’s way, rather than playing the occasion. We need to approach the game with the right mindset, which I’m positive we’ll do.”
Falkirk needed a fast start but there was no sign of any comeback in the early stages. Flat on the pitch and off it, the Bairns appeared to have already accepted their fate.
Callumn Morrison wasted their best opportunity in the 25th minute when he blasted Kai Kennedy’s cutback over, but with Airdrie creating chances of their own, there was no surprise to see the visitors strike first to kill off the tie for good.
Embarrassing defending cost Falkirk the first-leg and it was back in the second in the 42nd minute. Two players attacked a long throw-in from McCabe and McGill was on hand to knock home from close range.
Liam Henderson and Brad McKay should have levelled things up before the break, but their afternoon was summed up in the second-half as the delighted visiting fans mockingly cheered their hosts successful passes as time ticked away.
“The damage was done on Tuesday night,” admitted Falkirk manager John McGlynn. “You’ve got 90 minutes and you’re hoping for a miracle. But unfortunately we came up short.”
