Furious Airdrie boss accuses players of 'throwing in the towel' after Thistle mauling

Raging Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe accused his side of throwing in the towel as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat at play-off rivals Partick Thistle.

A very even first half saw the sides go in goal-less at the interval, but Thistle bagged the opener seven minutes into the second period, and Airdrie simply collapsed.

Aidan Fitzpatrick scored the first and had a hand in the second, as his side was parried into the path of Brian Graham for the first of his double.

Veteran striker Graham notched a second in 68 minutes, with sub Ricco Diack putting gloss on the day for Thistle.

These sides will have it all to do in the Premiership play-offs over two legs, and McCabe will be looking for a marked improvement, even if it was a first defeat after four straight wins.

He fumed: “I thought in the first half we were the better team, played some good stuff and started the second half really well.

“Once we conceded the goal there was lots of time and plenty of football to be played, but I thought some of the boys threw the towel in.

“You’ve got to take the emotion out of it, and we’ve got to the play-offs over a 36 or 38-game season, whatever it is, and the boys have been excellent.,

“But as I said in there, this is something I won’t stand for.

“This is a team that potentially you’re going to come up against, in the play-offs, and you’re going to have to beat them to try and improve and get to the next stage.

“I thought the boys, in the second half, let themselves down.

“You’re scratching your head, wondering out why you’ve come off the back of some really positive results and performances, spirits have been high, but I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to work out the second half, and I think the boys threw in the towel.”

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