Airdrieonians manager John Rankin is keen to add a striker to give the Diamonds a killer instinct in front of goal, after his side drew a blank for the second consecutive game.
Following a 3-0 home defeat to Ross County in the Premier Sports Cup, Airdrie were held to a goalless draw at Cove Rangers in the League One opener on Saturday. Of the five goals they have scored in competitive games, strikes have come from an own goal, defender Sam Fisher, and midfielders Kian Taylor (2) and AJ Bridge.
Forwards yet to score
Summer signings Matty Yates, Dapo Mebude, and Liam McLeish have not yet found the net. The trio scored eight goals for their previous clubs last season, with Yates hitting five for Linfield, Mebude two for Arbroath, and McLeish one for Queen's Park. Robbie Mahon, retained from last season, is also without a goal in five appearances.
The goalless draw at Balmoral Stadium left Rankin frustrated, as his players lacked the killer instinct to convert chances.
Looking to strengthen
With free-scoring East Kilbride visiting New Broomfield this Saturday, Rankin wants to bring in a fresh face up front. He told the club media: “If we talk about a killer instinct, we did a lot of hunting on Saturday to try and get the opportunities to get in front of goal, but the killer instinct wasn’t there. We were being too safe.”
“You get players who have a killer instinct naturally and we have players who we are trying to build up at the moment and get them sharp, making sure that the confidence is there. We are still trying to add to the squad, we are not going to shy away from that, and hopefully we can. That is an area of the pitch we are trying to strengthen and no-one is going to shy away from that either.”
“But, ultimately, these things come at a cost. Right now, we get into good areas, create good opportunities and we have players with good quality at the top end of the pitch. We just need to make sure that they believe in themselves a bit more, rather than trying to be safe and take an extra touch when it is not on.”
