Airdrie in control of play-off tie as Cove & QoS draw
Airdrieonians beat Stenhousemuir 3-1 in the first leg at Ochilview
- Published
Airdrieonians' bid to stay in the Scottish Championship got off to the perfect start as they defeated Stenhousemuir 3-1 in their play-off first leg, while Cove Rangers and Queen of the South played out a stalemate.
Rhys McCabe's side were spared automatic demotion after Hamilton's points deduction, and looked to take full advantage of a second chance against the side who finished fourth in League One.
Two Lewis McGrattan goals before the half hour mark had them in firm control, and then Chris Mochrie added a third in the second half.
However, Matty Aitken's penalty in the 89th minute gives Stenny some hope before Saturday's return in Airdrie, as they seek back-to-back promotions.
In the other semi-final, Cove Rangers managed a 0-0 draw away at Queen of the South.
Fraser Fyvie, Aberdeen loanee Findlay Marshall, and Mitch Megginson all went close for Paul Hartley's second-place side, while Benjamin Luissint's shot late on almost snatched victory for Queen's.
The sides - who finished just two points apart in the league - play again on Saturday.
Annan win six-goal thriller
In the League 1 play-offs Annan Athletic and Edinburgh City are in control of their respective semi-finals before the return matches at the weekend.
Annan, who are aiming to preserve their third-tier status, triumphed over Elgin in a thriller at Borough Briggs as all six goals came in a frantic opening half.
Tommy Goss gave Annan the lead only for Ryan Sargent to equalise for Elgin five minutes later, before Max Kilsby and a Tommy Muir double in the space of 13 minutes made it 4-1.
However, Jack Murray's strike in first-half stoppage time means Elgin travel south to Galabank two goals behind in the tie.
In the other semi-final, Malik Zaid's precise finish on 76 minutes gave Edinburgh City a 1-0 win at Meadowbank against East Fife, who finished nine points in front of them in League 2 and only narrowly missed automatic promotion.
As well as the return legs of the Championship and League 1 play-offs, the Pyramid play-off first leg between Lowland League champions East Kilbride and League 2 bottom side Bonnyrigg Rose starts at 15:00 BST on Saturday.