Airdrie 'put the knife in' to Falkirk's promotion bid with professional job, says Rhys McCabe

Player-boss Rhys McCabe admits Airdrie 'put the knife in' to Falkirk in their second leg tie after killing off the Bairns' promotion bid with an empathic aggregate victory in the Championship play-off semi-final.

With the hard work already done in midweek thanks to a thumping 6-2 first leg win, the Diamonds knew they just had to wait for their moment to strike in the second leg to finish the job.

And Gabby McGill showed the killer instinct required to bury a first-half chance and put the final nail in the coffin of Falkirk's season with a professional job.

McCabe, whose side now face Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton Accies in the final, said: "We said to the boys we weren't coming here to be pushovers or give them any hope.

"We've come here and we've put the knife right into their back.

"We knew Falkirk would have to come out and leave themselves open to opportunities that would arise.

"It was important we dealt with the game in the early stages, quieten the crowd and really sap their confidence.

"The goal comes at a good time.

"I've got a good record here as a player and in the years I've come here I don't think Airdrie have lost here, so there is a wee bit of pride among the targets we set.

"It was fairly easy to get them motivated. They are professionals at the end of the day. We were never going to come here and accept a 2-0 or 3-0 loss, and scrape through.

"I was adamant we weren't going to sit back and hold on to our lead, we came here to win the game.

"I think you saw that. We managed to soak it up and be clever in terms of how we approached the game.

"The fans travelled in their numbers and you saw throughout the game when players went off that they really appreciated their efforts."

McGill netted his 12th goal in his