EVEN during the highs of victory, the lows of past defeats can still prove troublesome.

Almost a year ago to the day, Ricki Lamie trudged off the park wondering if he would ever get another shot at success after his Whitburn side were battered in the Under-19 Scottish Cup final. A year on, the engineering student has helped Airdrie United construct a platform that could hoist them back into the first division.

The 18-year-old was pivotal as the Lanarkshire side overcame, and relegated, Ayr United in this first division play-off semi-final.

Despite the left-back being drafted in just hours before the match to replace the injured Paul Lovering, he put in a composed performance that will give Jimmy Boyle, the Airdrie manager, a selection headache ahead of this week's final two games.

Lamie, who was brought in last summer, only has to turn his mind back to last May for inspiration as he gears up for the first leg in Dumbarton on Wednesday night.

"I think we were playing a team from Ayrshire. It was a bit of a sore one, I don't really like talking about it," said Lamie, whose side were thrashed 5-1 by Bonnyton Thistle at New Broomfield. "I thought that was a brilliant achievement, but a year on and I'm here. It's some change, but I'm absolutely loving it.

"From boys' club to a play-off final with the chance of playing in the first division, I can't believe it."

Lamie was involved in the thick of the action against Ayr and after just 17 minutes Jackson Longridge saw red for a ferocious lunge that left the Airdrie youngster in a crumpled heap on the turf.

"It's one of those tackles," explained Lamie when recalling the challenge. "I have given one or two of them out myself, but it was a really bad challenge. I hate seeing a team going down to 10 men, but I think it was deserved."

It proved to be a match-changing moment as the balance of power swung in favour of the visitors, with Derek Holmes giving the Lanarkshire side the lead their domination deserved after 55 minutes.

Ayr did manage to grab an equaliser through Andy Geggan's close-range shot nine minutes later, but Holmes struck again within 60 seconds before substitute Willie McLaren calmly slotted the ball beyond Kevin Cuthbert with five minutes remaining.

The home side's dismal day was topped off when Jonathan Tiffoney saw red for a second booking in injury time.

"We're on an absolute high," added Lamie. "I can only hope I'm involved, but I'm sure if Lovering's back and fit then you would expect him to get the shout. I won't feel too hard done by."

As for Brian Reid, the Somerset Park manager, he will spend the summer pondering what might have been and considering what his future holds. After spending five years at the Ayrshire club, and guiding them to a League Cup semi-final and a Scottish Cup quarter-final this term, he remains open-minded over his plans.

"I'm out of contract myself, so who knows," said Reid. "I'll need to sit down with the board and see where we'll go from there.

"That's five years I have been here now and we've had some good success, but this obviously has been one of the big disappointments for us."