Right-back Kilday was robbed of possession in the build-up to the Diamonds’ first goal while Forbes was short with a downwards header which eventually led to Nathan Blockey’s strike.

Duffy felt the mistakes cost his side at the Excelsior Stadium, but he refused to criticise the players concerned and instead took time to praise the pair.

The Ton boss feels that Kilday — the Cappielow club’s only ever present this term — has been one of his side’s most dependable performers and that Forbes was their star man on the day.

Duffy told the Tele: “Lee has been one of our most consistent players this season, if not the most consistent, and I feel for him because he’s gutted.

“He was absolutely devastated after the game the boy, and it wasn’t deliberate — it was a mistake.

“You see top players making errors.

“It’s a split-second decision. If he gets away with it and gets inside — which he’s done umpteen times this season, Mark Russell does it as well — you’re controlling the ball.

“You’re not just booting the ball up the pitch, which you’ll get criticised for.

“If you take a chance and you get caught, well you get criticised for that as well.

“Obviously he knows he made a mistake: he could have given it back to Gats [Derek Gaston] or he could have kicked it up the pitch. It’s a split-second decision that’s the wrong decision. You can’t destroy the boy for that and surely to goodness you look at the balance over the season and see that his contribution has been excellent right through the season.

“It’s like a goalkeeper making a mistake. You can’t just slaughter them for that; you look at the balance over the course of the season, and over the course of the season Lee’s done well.

“He’s just got to get his head up and hopefully the supporters understand how devastated he is and look at what he’s contributed over the season.” Playmaker Forbes has impressed since joining the Ton from Dunfermline in January, and Duffy spoke highly of his overall display against Gary Bollan’s men.

He added: “In the game, Ross Forbes was excellent. He never shied away from looking for the ball; he wanted to be positive. He and Michael Miller put an immense amount of work in.

“Okay, sometimes he makes the wrong decision in terms of passing but you can’t criticise a boy for wanting on the ball and trying to make things happen.

“Again, he was trying to keep possession of the ball with us 1-0 down. If we were winning 1-0 he maybe hooks that over his shoulder and boots it away.

“But because you’re losing, you’re trying to keep possession of the ball and trying to be a wee bit ultra-careful on it. It was a fraction out and Airdrie capitalised.

“So credit to Airdrie, they took advantage of our two mistakes. But as a coach I look at the game as a whole and I thought Ross was probably our best player.”