There have been only two meetings between the teams at the hideously named Shyberry Excelsior Stadium. One was a friendly to mark the official opening of the ground and the other was a CIS tie in 1994 which the home side won 2-1. A reminder of that grim night should help to chase away any misplaced feelings of over confidence which could lead to a disaster.
The Official Opening
Airdrie have done well in the festive fixtures. Their last two games produced wins against Livingston and Accies and as a result they moved from the bottom of Division One. Gary Twigg is the on form striker with three goals from the last couple of outings.
Regardless of the form of the home team, Malpas will know that if we are able to produce the type of display which has seen us take seven SPL points from the last dozen then we should be in the hat for the fourth round draw.
It may be that the new guys are used to freshen up the starting line up but the side has been fairly settled of late and there should be no need for change unless a noticeable improvement is to be expected. With any luck we may see Clarkson get a reward for his persistence. He has had plenty of fine chances recently and deserves to end his goal drought. McDonald will also be keen to make a good showing as he will still believe that he is in the shop window.
Traffic congestion around the ground will probably be a nightmare and fans are advised to get to the ground early.
The draw for round four takes place at
The provisional date for any replay is Tuesday 16 January but there should be no need for a re-match after a 2-0 win for the Mighty ‘Well.