Airdrie ace Dylan MacDonald earns high praise after Championship debut goal

Airdrie player-boss Rhys McCabe insists Dylan MacDonald is proof there is top talent to be found in the lower leagues - and insists there is more to come from the talented 20-year-old.

The former East Kilbride defender scored the winner on his Championship debut yesterday to put Raith Rovers to the sword in a 1-0 win on the opening day. MacDonald - who was awarded man of the match - was plying his trade in the fifth tier last season before being plucked out of the Lowland League and let loose on the Championship.

McCabe was full of praise for the former St Mirren youth for how quickly he has adapted to the step up and believes MacDonald and team-mate Rhys Armstrong, who came in from League Two side The Spartans, have been real finds for the Diamonds.

He said: "Dylan has applied himself really well. Rhys Armstrong has come in from League Two Spartans as well and they've both come in seamlessly. It goes to show that there are players out there. We've done our homework and our research.

"These guys are probably just looking for an opportunity. I watched Dylan for a large portion of last season and we tried to get him in before. There were a number of clubs after him but we explained that coming up from the Lowland League to this level and making this jump, we could aid his development.

"There is more to come from him. We've seen from glimpses so far that he has great attributes. He is aggressive, as you saw with his goal. He attacks the ball one-v-one and there was a moment in the first half with Dylan Easton - who is one of the best in the league at squaring someone up and take you on - but Dylan [MacDonald] looked comfortable and assured.

"There's Mason Hancock on that side, Cammy Bruce, Aidan Wilson is a rock at the