Airdrie kept their slim hopes of Championship survival alive after cutting the gap on nearest rivals Dunfermline to 10 points at the foot of the table - ending a huge 19-game wait for a league win.

Lewis McGrattan's 14th minute strike and Chris Mochrie's effort in first-half stoppage time - his fourth goal in four games - put them well on their way, before Ben Wilson got in on the act just shy of the hour mark, giving the Diamonds a glimmer of hope that they can somehow avoid automatic relegation.

It was Airdrie's first win in the division since a 1-0 victory over Raith Rovers on the opening day in August and it could give them the shot in the arm required to turn around a nightmare campaign, with 15 games to go.

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The Diamonds made just one change from last week's thumping 5-1 win over Dumbarton in the Scottish Cup, with the injured Mason Hancock replaced by recent January signing Lewis Strapp. Fellow new boy Ricco Diack started on the bench.

Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes due to a flurry of snow in Monklands ahead of the clash and it was the visitors who settled quickest.

Just two minutes in Dunfermline threatened to open the scoring when Kane Ritchie-Hosler got in down the right and fired an angled shot at goal, but Kieran Wright was equal to it and battered the strike away from danger. Wright then had to claw away a cross-cum-shot from Ewan Otoo moments later from under his own crossbar.

In seven minutes, the Diamonds came close to breaking the deadlock when Chris Mochrie's shot at the near post was turned behind. From the resulting corner, the ball eventually came in for Craig Watson and when his powerful header looked destined for the far corner, Oluwayemi produced a fine save to palm it away.

And with 14 minutes on the clock, Airdrie took the lead. Oluwayemi raced out of his goal to deny Ben Wilson with a good save at the feet of the Diamonds attacker, but the ball fell kindly for McGrattan on the edge of the box and he kept his composure to send a sidefoot volley into the bottom corner of the empty net.

The crossbar denied Airdrie from doubling their lead in 25 minutes when Strapp got on the end of a flick on from Sam Graham and his header clipped the top of the woodwork.

Airdrie thought they had a second in 41 minutes when Adam Frizzell's corner went directly into the net but referee Duncan Williams blew for a foul in the build-up. The next passage of play then saw Wright forced into a strong stop to turn away Lewis McCann's thumping drive on the edge of the box.

The hosts weren't to be denied a second and caught the Pars on the break with the final attack of the half to double their lead. Ben Wilson slid the ball across the box to find the run of Mochie and he kept his composure to take a touch and slot the ball into the bottom corner.

Frizzell fired wide early in the second half as Airdrie looked to kill the game off. And they did just that in 57 minutes.

A sweeping move from the Diamonds saw Strapp pick a pass in the middle of the park and Mochrie's first-time pass, cut the Dunfermline defence wide open and slipped in Wilson for a composed first-time finish.

In another boost for Airdrie, winger Liam McStravick made his long-awaited comeback, replacing McGrattan after 73 minutes, to get his first outing since March 2024.

Dunfermline kept pushing for a consolation, with Kieran Ngwenya hitting the side netting late on, but Airdrie stood firm to land their first clean sheet in 19 league games.

The Diamonds are back at home next Saturday when they host Queen's Park.

AIRDRIE: Wright, Strapp (Duffy 64), Watson, Graham, MacDonald, McMaster, Gallagher, McGrattan (McStravick 73), Frizzell, Mochrie (McGregor 74), Wilson (Diack 64).

Scorers: McGrattan 14, Mochrie 45, Wilson 57

Bookings: Strapp

Subs not used: Melrose, Bruce, McCabe, Armstrong, Cooper.

DUNFERMLINE: Oluwayemi, Benedictus, Chalmers (Ngwenya 61), Comrie, Fogarty, Otoo (Wighton 67), Ritchie-Hosler (O'Halloran 67), Todd (Young 61), Hamilton, McCann, Kane (Wotherspoon 67).

Scorers:

Bookings: Hamilton, Chalmers, Fogarty

Subs not used: Mehmet, Clay, Mebude.

HT: 2-0

Ref: Duncan Williams

Att: 1,865