Airdrie will get a huge boost from trophy win as they head into 'eight cup finals', says boss

Rhys McCabe says Airdrie winning the SPFL Trust Trophy will give his side a huge boost as they head into eight more ‘cup finals’.

The Diamonds gaffer says few outside of New Broomfield would have given them a chance of competing for a Premiership play-off place at the end of this season, but that’s the task that now faces his squad.

Airdrie travel to face Ayr United at Somerset Park on Friday in the first of that sequence, which is also a period of five games in two weeks that could be pivotal to the Diamonds’ season.

They follow that up with a trip to Arbroath on Tuesday, 2, a crunch clash at home to Morton four days later, a visit to Raith Rovers on April 9, while Dunfermline come to New Broomfield on April 13.

Airdrie beat TNS 2-1 at the Falkirk stadium on Sunday, and McCabe said: “Ultimately, now, it’s about eight cup finals. If we go and perform and everyone’s fighting in the right direction then we’ve got a right good chance.

“Ultimately, winning the trophy gives us the best opportunity.

“We were never expected to be [in play-off contention] in the first place, I think the only people who thought that were potentially myself and the staff.

“I know how good the boys can be when we’re on it.

“I think the end goal, the bigger picture, is that we’ll look back at this win and think it’s silverware in our second season.

“I get the hype of promotion in our first year, we’ve won a trophy in our second year and are fighting for the play-offs.

“But it just gives the boys a real boost of confidence, going into a game, that we’ve won a bit of silverware.

“When these pressured situations come we can lean on the experiences that we’ve had before, whether that be going up through the play-offs last season or winning a bit of