SOAKED to the skin and, presumably, way past his bedtime, Calum Gallagher couldn't stop smiling when he emerged from the bowels of New Broomfield, tasked with finding the right words to sum up an enthralling 120 minutes of football.

He had good reason to be cheerful. His brace, including a winner deep into extra time, had just given Airdrieonians their best chance of playing in the second tier for the first time in more than a decade after they saw off Cove Rangers in dramatic fashion.

The Diamonds had come from behind twice to level the tie - most impressively with a 94th minute equaliser from Jack McKay to cancel out Rory McAllister's own injury time strike – and in the aftermath Gallagher was in no doubt about the significance of the win. 

"It feels great," the 26-year-old said. "It's pretty special and it jumps in as a real highlight of my career. 

"It takes everyone to get us there. We were backs to the wall for so much of the game and it takes the team to push us up the pitch.

Glasgow Times: Kyle Turner, who is on loan at Airdrie from Dunfermline, impressed on Tuesday Kyle Turner, who is on loan at Airdrie from Dunfermline, impressed on Tuesday

"Craig [Thompson] comes on and gets to the touchline and gets a great ball across. I just threw myself at it and didn't know much about it. I just jumped!" 

So long has been the Diamonds' stay in League One purgatory, the club were actually still going by their Airdrie United moniker when Jimmy Boyle led them to relegation from the old First Division in 2013. 

But with the wind in their sails and momentum on their side – Tuesday a fifth consecutive game without defeat – Gallagher is confident they can end their spell in the doldrums. 

"It speaks to the character of the guys," Gallagher added. "The change of mentality and our belief has just skyrocketed in the last eight to ten weeks.

"When you are winning, it breeds winning. We seem to be in that wee bubble now where things are just happening for us.

"Sometimes you get the rub of the green when you are already on the up. I am so delighted for the boys. We deserved it." 

When asked what has been behind the Diamonds' upturn in form, he said: "It started with a wee bit of impetus from the rest and then the games coming thick and fast. It was do or die for us.

Glasgow Times: Gallagher's winner was set up by teammate Craig Thompson Gallagher's winner was set up by teammate Craig Thompson

"Then the manager has brought in guys like Kyle Turner and Paul Paton, who has been there and done that. Kyle has the potential to go very far in the game.

"They have been a real driving force which has helped massively. I couldn't pinpoint it but I am just delighted it is there." 

While there was good reason for Gallagher to be cheerful – least of all when he was greeted by a small band of Airdrie fans as he left the stadium – it was a different story entirely for Cove. 

They had come within a whisker of giving themselves a chance of securing back-to-back promotions but less than half an hour later were staring down the barrel at another season in League One. 

"It was there for us but when you lose goals like that you're not going to win games," said striker McAllister. "It's been happening too often; you're not going to win games at this level if you give away goals like that. We don't make them work for it. 

Glasgow Times: Rory McAllister, left in his Peterhead days, was left disappointed by Cove's late collapse Rory McAllister, left in his Peterhead days, was left disappointed by Cove's late collapse

"It's not been like us. I think it was the Falkirk game down there - it seems to happen quite often and I'm not sure what it is. We need to be able to see out games at this level. 

"We're hugely disappointed because the chance was there for us."