On a historic Saturday 133 years in the making, there was nothing which could properly rain on Arbroath Football Club’s championship parade.
With 1125 fans in Gayfield Park and the club in the thoughts of countless others across the globe, the Lichties finally got their hands on silverware which has eluded the outfit since its 1878 foundations.
A 5-3 defeat in the preceding 90 minutes against Elgin City and the inconsiderate arrival of rain were quickly forgotten at 5pm when the Third Division Championship trophy was delivered by SFL chief executive David Longmuir to Paul Sheerin’s side, amid a rapturous reception in the packed grandstand.
The Lichties had wrapped up the momentous title two games previously with an emphatic derby win over Angus rivals Montrose and club chairman John Christison admitted that the scale of the achievement had just about registered with the delivery of the trophy into the hands of skipper Stuart Malcolm.
“Today’s result maybe isn’t what we would have liked but we can forget about the game and enjoy the celebration,” he said. “It is absolutely unbelievable to think that after 133 years we have received our first trophy and I think that it’s just about sunk in now.
“It’s an amazing achievement. The start of the season was difficult but, apart from that blip, it’s been fantastic,” said Christison, who was lifted over the Gayfield turnstiles as a lad in the 1950s at the start of his love affair with the club.
Now the hard work will get under way to prepare for life in the second division, including sitting down with manager Sheerin to talk about his future and the squad for the season ahead.
Arbroath will also have a close eye on the play-offs for the league above, where both Forfar and Brechin are still in with a shout of stepping up but would be welcome derby rivals if they don’t pull off promotion.
“It’s a great friendly rivalry between all the Angus clubs and I think you can also include teams like East Fife in the derby sense, so hopefully there will be a few of those for the fans to enjoy,” added the chairman.
Manager Sheerin was disappointed his side didn’t put a winning seal on the season but said the trophy celebration quickly extinguished any damp spirits.Click here for a full photo gallery of Saturday’s celebrations“League tables never lie and over 36 games the best team have won the league,” said the manager, whose youngsters Orla (7) and Dervla (4) joined dad for the on-the-park party. “I think they’re a bit young to know exactly what it’s all about but they loved us winning the title a couple of weeks ago and my family give me so much support that it’s great to be able to share things like this with them.”
Arbroath’s success has been a dream start to Sheerin’s management career and the addition of another championship winning medal to his personal collection has added a special chapter to the 36-year-old’s career story.
“There are a lot of players who never get a championship medal, so to have two in the last four years (Sheerin was at first division winners St Johnstone in 2008) is incredible.”
The Gayfield glory was also celebrated online, with a string of former players posting goodwill messages on the club website. They included Walter Cameron, who was a member of the 1968 promotion-winning side.
“I want to pass on my sincere congratulations to all at the club for this season’s achievement. All of you involved at the club should be immensely proud to have played a part in winning our first ever championship,” he said.
Another former Red Lichtie, Jimmy Milne, contacted the club he played for from 1967-76 from his home Down Under.
“Well done on winning the third division championship. Still look for the scores each Sat. Just keep on winning,” he posted.
And John Gallagher, an ex-player from the 1980s and 90s, offered his congratulations to a club he said remained close to his heart.
Fans have flooded the Lichties website with messages of goodwill, from the town and Angus and countries including Canada and Australia.