This was a case of men against boys, and the men won! St.Mirren looked stronger and fitter with better players, and of course scored more goals than the opposition.
Airdrie, fielding the same team that beat Dunfermline in the cup last week, were seldom a threat to the visitors. True , they matched St.Mirren for most of the first half but in the second when Saints had brought on Iain Anderson for Alan Reid, the whole complexion of the match changed.
St. Mirren's opener, after 24 minutes, had a touch of good fortune about it. A Charlie Adam cross had the Airdrie keeper flapping, and when he attempted to push the ball away he simply put it into the path of team-mate Stephen McKenna, who could do nothing as the ball bounced off him and into the net.
That was Saints' good fortune because minutes earlier they had suffered some bad fortune when a Mark Corcoran effort from just inside the box beat the keeper, hit the post, ran along the line, hit the other post and rebounded for Stewart Kean who, from six yards, ballooned the ball over the bar.
After 61 minutes substitute Iain Anderson it two-nil when he drilled a low shot past Stephen Robertson from 16 yards.
Corcoran made it three after 72 minutes when he swept home a fine defence-splitting pass from another substitute John Sutton.
Their fourth came from a free-kick on the edge of the box and followed two minutes of mayhem which saw Alan McManus given a straight red after the referee had been called to the touch line by his assistant. Whatever took place happened outside the box and earned St.Mirren an indirect free-kick. Simon Lappin slipped the ball to Anderson, whose low shot was good enough to beat the keeper.
Airdrie pulled one back through Brian McPhee in the dying minute, but by then it was a case of too little too late!