Craig Watson reckons a hat-trick of home games can be season-defining for Airdrie, and says it’s time for them to puff their chests out and take the pressure on after their defeat to Queen’s Park.

Goals from Dom Thomas and Louis Longridge on Saturday had the Spiders on easy street inside 21 minutes, and they simply didn’t look back.

Airdrie’s best chance fell to sub Chris Mochrie in 82 minutes, but his header was saved by Calum Ferrie.

That left the Diamonds rooted to the foot of the Championship, while Queen’s Park moved up to fifth, a point off the play-off places.

Airdrie host second-bottom Morton on Saturday, Livingston on Tuesday and Partick Thistle on December 21 in a trio of games that could see them climb closer to relegation rivals – or be further stuck in the mire.

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Morton hold a 10-point gap over the Diamonds as it stands, courtesy of Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Queen’s Park at Hampden, and the Greenock club’s 0-0 draw at home to Livi.

And Watson says they need to make these games count.

“One hundred per cent it can turn our season around,” he said.

“We’re all professionals in there, we all want to win at the end of the day, and we need to apply ourselves to the standard that we know we can – not that we’ve been showing it.

“We train at a high standard day in, day out, so it’s about taking that onto the pitch on game-day.

“It’s season-deciding. It couldn’t be bigger. It’s time for the boys to puff their chest out, take the pressure on their shoulders.”

Watson says Airdrie didn’t do enough to merit anything against Queen’s Park, and a devastating first half hit them hard.

He said: “It’s very frustrating. The team showed a good little surge at the start of the second half, but unfortunately we got nothing to show for it.

“I don’t think you can really put in a first-half performance like that and expect to get anything out of a game.”

Thomas netted in 14 minutes, after keeper Kieran Wright had blocked a Jack Turner shot.

Louis Longridge doubled that lead with an audacious chip from distance seven minutes later, and the points were wrapped up safely at that point.

It took the Diamonds until 82 minutes to properly threaten, when Calum Ferrie saved sub Chris Mochrie’s header from a Ben Wilson cross.

Watson said: “Chris had a chance. It was a great cross, a clean header, but unfortunately it’s pretty much right at the keeper.

“It might have looked like a good save, but you’d expect a keeper of that quality to pull it off.

“We didn’t create enough clear-cut chances, which is ultimately our downfall.

“I would take absolutely anything just now [to get us out of this]. On the same hand, we need to tighten up.

“We had a clean sheet last week, obviously, and should have built on that. That’s what your expectations should be, to be nice and solid at the back and give yourself a chance in the game.

“But in the first half we shot ourselves in the foot.”