John Rankin, the new Airdrieonians manager, gave debuts to all his summer signings in Saturday's 1-1 friendly draw with Elgin City and expressed satisfaction with their displays. The quartet—striker Dapo Mebude, midfielders Matty Yates and Ewan Simpson, and defender Sam Fisher—all featured as Rankin took charge of his first match in the dugout.
New Signings Shine in First Outing
Rankin told Lanarkshire Live Sport: “The new signings did well. I thought Dapo looked sharp, Matty looked sharp and Simmy does what Simmy does, he controlled the game and made good passes. And Sam Fisher, that’s the Sam that I know and hated playing against and admired a number of years ago. But there’s also lots more to come.”
He also praised Robbie Mahon, a player from last season who saw limited game time: “Robbie Mahon who was here last season and didn’t play as much as he wanted, did really well as well, so a lot of good work has been put in by the players.”
Team Still Building Fitness and Chemistry
Rankin acknowledged that the team is still in the early stages of preparation: “We looked good at times, we looked poor at times, but we’ve not done a lot of work together yet, only really fitness stuff. It is now about getting to the stage where we can concentrate on the ball work.”
Assistant Manager Search on Hold
The Airdrie boss confirmed he remains without an assistant but is in no rush to fill the role: “I am no further forward with the assistant. I have bigger priorities at the moment in terms of getting a team on the pitch.”
