AIRDRIE duly claimed their place in the fourth round draw after a comfortable win against a willing but ultimately well beaten Cove Rangers side.
The Highland League champions had arrived at the Excelsior with high hopes of claiming a big-name sca
lp, though whether Jim Ballantyne, the Airdrie chairman, would agree with that description of his club is open to doubt.
Indeed, writing in the match programme, Ballantyne again bemoaned the apparent apathy of the local public.
During the week he raised doubts over the viability of full-time football in the Lanarkshire town after fewer than 900 supporters turned out six days after the Diamonds lifted the Challenge Cup.
There was another disappointing attendance of just 821 yesterday – Airdrie's lowest of the season – and the chairman added the following message: "Those people who still seem to think we are a 'big' club really need to wake up and smell the coffee.
"Probably these are the same people who couldn't be bothered turning up last week, but we will just get on with the job in hand without them."
On the field, too, the euphoria of that cup success is now a distant memory with Airdrie going into this tie as the bottom club in the first division.
During the early skirmishes the Diamonds displayed the hallmarks of a side low on confidence as Cove played with the easy abandon of underdogs.
Before the opening goal settled home nerves, the Aberdeen side might easily have opened the scoring. In eight minutes an angled shot by Neil Cruickshank had Stephen Robertson at full stretch to pull off a crucial save and moments later Cove went even closer.
Barrie Stephen pounced on hesitation in the home defence and found himself clean through on Robertson. However, the former Elgin striker pulled his shot wide of the right-hand post.
Martin Johnston also went close before Airdrie eased the increasing anxiety of home supporters by scoring with virtually their first serious attack.
Joe Cardle received Simon Lynch's pass wide on the left before dancing along the 18-yard line and dispatching a precise shot low into the net.
Cove almost hit back immediately when Ritchie Livingstone forced a superb fingertip save from Robertson.
From the corner Murray McCulloch's flick almost found its way through a ruck of players but Airdrie survived and seized control of the game with two goals in quick succession from Lynch.
Strike partner Paul Di Giacomo had already seen his header rebound from the base of a post following excellent wing play by Steven McDougall when Lynch was sent through by Cardle's deflected pass.
The former Dundee and Celtic forward calmly waltzed round Cove keeper Stuart McKenzie before slotting home from a tight angle.
Three minutes later the Diamonds were in Easy Street when McDougall's cross found Lynch in acres of space and he headed home.
Dean Lawrie, Cove's teenage full-back, was having a torrid afternoon at the twinkle-toed feet of McDougall and the restart brought little respite.
Twice in quick succession McDougall got the better of his rival before sending over testing crosses, dealt with by Kevin Tindal and McKenzie respectively.
The Cove goalkeeper was becoming increasingly busy as Airdrie began to make their superior fitness tell.
Cardle cut in from the left wing and was thwarted by McKenzie's diving save and soon after Scott McLaughlin saw his stinging 30-yarder deflected.
The visitors were by now struggling to get out of their own half but in 64 minutes McCulloch pounced on a loose ball and ran straight at the back-tracking Diamonds defence.
His pass was perfectly measured for Stephen who again found himself with only Robertson to beat.
However, for the second time, the Cove striker sent his shot wide.
At the other end Lynch squandered the chance to notch his hat-trick when he missed from close range following some neat footwork by Cardle.
Jamie Watt, making his final appearance for Cove before emigrating to Australia, had the chance to mark the occasion with a goal when he pounced on a poor pass by Matt Hazley.
However, Robertson played spoilsport by diving to smother the striker's low left-foot shot.
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