Airdrie boss: We were laughed at for targeting title last season, but win over Raith has put down marker

Airdrie player-boss Rhys McCabe says people laughed at him for targeting the title last season, but believes their opening day win over Raith has put down a marker for this term.

The Kirkcaldy side were runners-up last season and lost out in the Premiership play-off final to Ross County, but the Diamonds downed Ian Murray's men thanks to unlikely hero Dylan MacDonald.

The 20-year-old defender was playing in the Lowland League last season for East Kilbride before being plucked out of the fifth tier.

And he came up trumps in the 76th minute to grab the winner with a diving header, which McCabe believes has sent out a message to the rest of the division.

He said: "I stressed in the changing room after the game, Raith are the bookies favourites to go up - and rightly so. But this is a marker. We've seen what Raith have to offer and we've seen that, although we are a young squad, it is a mentality thing.

"I was laughed at last season when I was asked what my aim was and I said to win the league, get promoted or get to the play-offs.

"But when we did get to the play-offs, it was a case of: 'Oh, Airdrie play good football and deserve to be there.' There is certainly no reason why this group of players can't go and do that, but they still have to go and apply themselves every day at training, get through the bad moments, work together as a team, and we'll see where we are at Christmas and come the end of the season.

"I'm delighted for Dylan. There is more to come from him. We've seen from glimpses so far that he has great attributes and he is aggressive, as you saw with his goal."

In a game of few chances, Ben Wilson came close for the hosts three minutes into the second half after crashing an effort off the crossbar, while