Arbroath exited the Scottish Gas Men’s Scottish Cup at the Fourth-Round stage after a defeat on penalties to fellow Championship side Airdrieonians at the Albert Bartlett Stadium.
The home side led three times throughout the 120 minutes thanks to a Euan Henderson double and Dean McMaster’s tidy finish, but Gavin Reilly, Thomas Beadling and Scott Stewart replied for Arbroath in an entertaining 3-3 draw, that had ended 2-2 after normal time.
There were seven changes from the side that progressed to the quarter-final of the KDM Evolution Trophy in midweek, with Jack Wilkie, Tam O’Brien, Stewart and Findlay Marshall the players to retain their places in the starting lineup in Airdrie.
Henderson scored the only goal the last time Arbroath visited the Albert Bartlett Stadium, and he was at it again, firing the Diamonds into the lead after just 12 minutes. Lewis Strapp was causing problems down the left early on and was involved with his cross laid off by Jamie Barjonas for Henderson to bend the ball beyond Aidan McAdams.
Arbroath did eventually work their way into the game and had a good chance to equalise when Taylor Steven’s dangerous free kick was met by the head of Wilkie, but he could only flick the ball past the post.
Chances were few and far between after that with both sides restricted to shots from distance, Jacob MacIntyre fired over for Arbroath before Craig Ross saw his low strike turned away by McAdams at the other end as the Diamonds went in a goal to the good at the break.
It wasn’t long into the second half before the scores were level again though, with Steven finding space in the middle on 51 minutes to pick out Reilly who smashed the ball home off the underside of the bar.
Airdrie were back in front six minutes later however when Aaron Muirhead brought down Henderson in the box, with the forward stepping up to send McAdams the wrong way for his second of the afternoon.
MacIntyre and Marshall both tried their luck from distance, sending efforts harmlessly off target as the Lichties struggled to break down the Diamonds’ defence.
Indeed, it was a stroke of luck that saw Arbroath equalise for a second time on 84 minutes, as substitute Beadling took aim from distance, with his strike taking a wicked deflection to completely wrongfoot Harry Stone and see the ball nestle in the corner of the net.
The Lichties thought they’d turned the scoreline around immediately afterwards as Marshall stroked the ball home, but the referee’s whistle blew for an apparent Beadling foul in the build up as Arbroath’s joy was short lived and the match headed into extra-time.
Airdrieonians moved back in front just eight minutes into the additional half an hour, with a quick break away ending with Cole McKinnon’s cross to McMaster who swept the ball past McAdams.
Arbroath refused to lie down though and managed to level the scores for a third time when Steven’s cross was headed goalwards by Stewart and managed to sneak in via a deflection to force a penalty shoot-out.
It was the Diamonds who went first, and they moved in front through Henderson, before Ross Callachan saw his effort saved. McAdams did keep out Jake Hastie’s effort to give Arbroath a way back into things, but his opposing number Stone then made a second save to deny Craig Watson, allowing McMaster to win it for Airdrie and send them into Sunday night’s Fifth-Round draw.
Airdrieonians: Stone; MacDonald (Constable, 98), Wilson (McGinty, 77), Ross, Strapp; McMaster; Telfer (Hastie, 72), McKinnon, Barjonas; Henderson, Mochrie (McGrattan, 66)
Arbroath: McAdams; Stewart, Muirhead (Watson, 114), O’Brien, Wilkie; Cochrane (Flynn, 61), Marshall (Callachan, 109); Steven, MacIntyre (Todorov, 109), Dow (Beadling, 61); Reilly (Mebude, 72)
