Airdrie have their swagger back after downing Inverness, says Rhys McCabe

Rhys McCabe says his Diamonds have their swagger back after Airdrie started 2024 with a deserved win over Inverness.

The player-boss helped his side make it back-to-back wins in the Championship, as second half headers from Nikolay Todorov and Callum Fordyce earned a victory that takes them up to fourth in the Championship.

Having backed up a last-gasp win over Queen's Park at Hampden on Saturday, McCabe believes his players are getting back to their best.

He said: "That was much more like us. We were in control of the whole game.

"We limited them to next to nothing and even when they had a wee flurry for five minutes in the second half, we were still firmly in control and deserved the victory.

"You could see the boys had their swagger back, a bit of their mojo, which is more like us.

"We were thoroughly deserving of the three points.

"We've come off a tough game on Saturday and showed great enthusiasm and intensity, so it is a good start to the new year."

The Diamonds had to bide their time for a breakthrough against Duncan Ferguson's stuffy Caley Jags, but McCabe always believed their moment would come.

He added: "They were hard to beat and to break down five at the back, we knew it was a case of being patient and it might take us into the second half.

"Once we got the first goal, they naturally came out of their shell a little bit and that left opportunities for us to exploit.

"We knew they were a big side, especially at the back. They defended the box really well with good height in there so it was about trying to manufacture a different cross or a different crossing angle.

"It was pleasing for Dycey as well to get a goal.

"We had a couple of other opportunities that fell to us in the six-yard box and we never