Airdrie secured a 2-0 victory at Tannadice on Tuesday night, with McGill netting a fantastic header to open the scoring after a spell out with a knee injury.
Speaking after the match, the English forward praised his side’s performance after a well deserved win over the league leaders.
First of all, I felt the team was fantastic. It demonstrates our potential when we’re focused.
We stated at halftime that if we tightened up a little bit in the last third of the game, it could turn around, and that’s exactly what happened in the second half. I thought we played pretty well in the first half.
“We played the entire game with our faces in their face, I felt like we pressed really well, and we got the rewards at the end.”
After suffering damage to his knee ligaments, McGill will gradually return to the team. This goal was his first since scoring twice against Rangers B in the SPFL Trust Trophy in November.
After suffering damage to his knee ligaments, McGill will gradually return to the team. This goal was his first since scoring twice against Rangers B in the SPFL Trust Trophy in November.
When questioned about his immaculate finish, the 23-year-old displayed his customary modesty.
It was one of those moments when everything moved slowly, and it felt great!
“The manager has been hammering home the point that forwards should stay in front of the goal, and with Charlie Telfer’s calibre out wide… Though I thought the header was fine, it’s not like I couldn’t miss, and everything went smoothly.
As the Diamonds shocked the defending champions on their home pitch, Queen’s Park was also producing a magnificent performance, hammering six past Arbroath without a response.
The teams square off at the Excelsior on Saturday. Despite Airdrie’s hectic schedule, McGill feels the match must happen sooner rather than later given Tuesday’s outcome.
“It’s fantastic from the perspective of the gamer; the more games, the better!
“When you’re having a little losing streak, you can sometimes develop a bad habit of playing poorly or making mistakes, but after that, you just want games to come up quickly.”
Queen’s Park, who will take on Airdrie for the third match this season with a third different manager in the dugout, has had a season marked by transitions.
When the teams played for the first time in October at the Excelsior, it was televised. Calum Gallagher’s first-half goal was equalised by Jack Turner, while Robin Veldman led the Spiders to a 1-1 tie.
In December, Veldman departed the team, and fellow Dutchman Paul Nuijten took over temporarily as Airdrie won the 2023 season finale at Hampden with a thrilling comeback victory. Three minutes into stoppage time, Nikolay Todorov scored the winning goal after Mason Hancock had tied the score following Dom Thomas’s penalty shot for Glasgow.
After hiring Callum Davidson, a former St. Johnstone manager, Queen’s Park saw an improvement in their performance, which culminated in Tuesday’s incredible 6-0 score.
Gabby feels the game on Saturday could be exciting because both sides are feeling well following their thrilling victories.
It should be a fun game because both teams are coming off of some extremely strong performances.
“We’ll take it easy, rest, and get our homework done. Whether it’s more tactical work on their part or tactical work of our own, we’ll approach it with the utmost confidence.”
Rhys McCabe, the player-manager, anticipates the customary close game against the Hampden men.
After a fantastic outcome, we’re eager for another game despite the short turnaround from Tuesday.
“Queen’s Park will be trying to build on their strong midweek performance. We’ve played close games thus far, and we anticipate more of the same on Saturday.
In addition, the management is awaiting test results to ascertain the degree of Mason Hancock’s knee injury, following the defender’s withdrawal from Tuesday night’s game. Midfielders Murray Aiken and Lewis McGregor are still out with ankle issues.
Referee Willie Collum makes his second appearance at the Excelsior this season for an Airdrie game; his first came in December during a 0-0 draw with Greenock Morton.
