Airdrie players all fighting for the jerseys now after "panicking" in defeat to Falkirk, says McCabe

Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe warned his players they are fighting for their jerseys after he felt they "panicked" in their defeat to table-topping Falkirk.

The Bairns bombarded the Diamonds on their own patch for the majority of the game and ran out deserved 2-0 winners.

A a 72nd minute stunner from Dylan Tait and a Sean Mackie strike seven minutes later finally broke Airdrie's resolve and sent Falkirk above Ayr to the top of the Championship.

It was a day to forget for the Diamonds and they were fortunate to come away with just a two-goal defeat thanks to the performance of goalkeeper Murray Johnson, as well as some poor finishing from their visitors.

A 15-minute spell towards the end of the first-half - in which Chris Mochrie cleared an Alfredo Agyeman header off the line - and for much of the second period, Johnson's goal was peppered with strikes and McCabe was frustrated by how his side lost their composure in key areas.

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This is their third defeat of the league campaign in five games and now McCabe - who made 15 new signings this summer - has told his players they need to buck up their ideas to stay in the team after recent displays.

He said: "I thought Falkirk were the better side and thoroughly deserved the result. They were the better side all over the pitch.

"In terms of ourselves, coming in at half-time was a good time to reset. It wasn't what I wanted in the first half, but it obviously went the other way [in the second half] and that is something we will need to address.

"I try to be as honest with the players and the media as best I can and I thought we panicked.

"The amount of times Falkirk set a press up and forced us to go long... that is not the way I play.

"The amount of times we resorted to hoofing the ball forward to Aaron Reid, hoping that he wins a flick on and how quickly it came back to lead to an attack on our goal.

"That is when you look for a bit of courage and a bit of bravery for boys to go and play.

"Mistakes happen - it is a game of mistakes - but ultimately you've got to go and show more courage and get through the bad times when there are moans from the crowd, or you are not in a good moment.

"You still show for the ball, you still take it under pressure, but we didn't do that."

Asked how he would try and rectify their recent run of results in the league, which has left them a point off the bottom of the table, he added: "It is up to the players. I'm honest with them and every single player is fighting for the jersey now, that's as simple as it gets.

"You have got to show me in training with how you respond, your attitude, your application, your attention to detail and your hunger and desire to go and win a game of football. Show me that and play for me."

Johnson's display was the only positive the Diamonds could take from the game. The Hibs loanee battered away several efforts and made a great save at point-blank range in the build-up to Tait's opener.

McCabe added: "He faced far too many shots. As a defensive unit, we allowed far too many entries into our box, into the wide areas, crosses into the box and if you keep doing that, you are going to face chances."

Airdrie must now lick their wounds and prepare for a trip to Morton next Saturday.

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