Just like a star atop of a Christmas tree, it’s Arbroath who occupy the prime position in the Championship over the festive period.
A gutsy display from the Lichties earned three points in the 2-1 win over Morton.
The football wasn’t the best but the result, and its significance, lit up an otherwise cold and miserable day on the Angus coast.
Courier Sport was at Gayfield and here are three talking points from the game.
Table-toppers
If there was ever a perfect Christmas present for Arbroath fans their side delivered it a week in advance.
For the first time this season, the Lichties occupy the top spot in the Championship.
They were not near their best but, given the circumstances, that could be forgiven. With coaches John Young and Rab Douglas taking temporary charge, the side ground out the result.
Merry Christmas ya filthy animals
Not a classic today but the boys just keep going
Fantastic for the only part time team in the league 🎅🏾🙌🏻👏🔥🙏🏽⚽️ pic.twitter.com/TCcSWEDTnT— Robert Douglas (@Robert__Douglas) December 18, 2021
After being pegged back and with Morton piling on the pressure, Anton Dowds grabbed his chance when it was presented to him. From then on there was only one winner.
Their spot at the top is thoroughly deserved given their form this season. Suffering just two defeats, they’ve beaten every team around them and haven’t lost in 10 games.
Add in the fact they’re the only part-time team in the league, it makes for an even more remarkable feat.
They’re halfway there. Can they hold on to that top spot? Who knows. But given their recent form, anything is possible.
Visibility
It wasn’t a classic game by any means. Not least because parts of the pitch became increasingly hard to see as the afternoon went on.
The match started off with the sun shining brightly across the surface but by half-time Gayfield was covered in a thick haar.
Referee Mike Roncone and his assistants even carried out an inspection during the break to ensure they could see one another from opposite ends of the field.
The referee assessed the visibility due to the thick haar at half time. Play can still go on at Gayfield. Arbroath 0-0 Morton. pic.twitter.com/a55uhrmOoT
— Scott Lorimer (@scottlorimer89) December 18, 2021
Elsewhere, Kilmarnock’s game with Dunfermline was abandoned midway through the second half – which turned out to not be the main talking point at Rugby Park.
Arbroath’s game continued and they will be delighted it did. But you could see that players on both sides were hampered in their play by the lack of visibility.
In the end, it was the boys in maroon who handled the conditions better.
Covid
Arbroath were rocked by a positive Covid case on Friday leading to manager Dick Campbell, his assistant and six players missing the game.
Talisman Michael McKenna and defensive mainstay Thomas O’Brien dropped out of the line-up. David Gold, Dale Hilson, Luke Donnelly and Calum Antell were also unavailable.
Firstly, you have to wish those affected a speedy recovery from the illness.
Despite more than half a team missing, the Lichties were still able to field a near full-strength line-up showing the depth they have in their squad.
Every one of them dug in for the team and played their part in the table-topping victory.
Arbroath will hope to keep their players in bubble wrap to avoid any further absences, either through injury or Covid.
Should they manage to do that, they will be ready kick off 2022 with a full squad to maintain their position at the top of the table.
