Stephen Kenny Post Airdrie

"McManus coming back playing like he did last season for us, that was more like it. He had a stop start pre season with a back problem and a cracked rib.

Stephen Kenny thought that Airdrie had played well against Dunfermline:-

"They passed the ball about well in the first half and we were maybe slow starting I felt. We picked it up in the second half, first twenty minutes and we had a few chances.

"It was a well worked goal between McManus and Burchill for the first goal. We missed a few chances after that but got the second goal. In the first half Airdrie played well and then had a little spell in the second half when they played well also. They are one of the better footballing sides that I have seen this season; they have a good philosophy. The way they played they will have a right crack at getting promoted this year. Airdrie looked a very good side.

"We had a young back four with two full backs playing centre back really and Iain Williamson who is possibly a centre forward playing right back.

"McManus coming back playing like he did last season for us, that was more like it. He had a stop start pre season with a back problem and a cracked rib.

"When we were in possession we kept it well and when we didn't have it we didn't work as a unit to retrieve the ball or tackle aggressively in the first half; we didn't press as a unit. We allowed Airdrie a little bit of time and possession that we shouldn't have. In the second half we addressed that; defended further up the park and certainly passed the ball a lot better. Our support from our wide players to the front two was a lot better."

On the 87th minute red cards shown to Calum Woods and Airdrie's Stephen McKeown the Pars boss said:-

"It was unnecessary situation. We were winning 2-0 so why get involved in a situation like that? It was inexperience. The view was that there was no real aggressive throwing of heads or anything like that but they squared up to each other with their heads and once you do that you give the referee little alternative. There was no real aggression it was just squaring up really but unnecessary. We will just need to see what suspension is due from it.

"To my knowledge a sending off normally it comes in the same competition. That's a UEFA ruling so I don't see how it would be in the league. Sol Bamba was rested; he got a bit of a kick on the ankle in the game the other day. He could have played tonight but he was in Africa, then he went to Sweden and then went back to Africa and came back. We felt in the situation with the lack of centre halves we just couldn't afford to lose him again."