A convincing home win and clean sheet against Morton at Gayfield was just what the doctor ordered after a tough week for Arbroath.
They suffered the lowest of lows against Kilmarnock but the Lichties looked determined to put on a showing before they prepare for a second bite of promotion.
And they did it in style against Morton, with goals from Jason Thomson, James Craigen and Michael McKenna.
The feel-good factor is definitely back at the Angus club as they gear up for their Premiership play-off first leg on Tuesday May 10.
Courier Sport takes a look at four talking points from the clash.
Decisions for Dick Campbell to make
Dick Campbell made nine changes to his squad from the side that lost out to Kilmarnock the week prior – only Tam O’Brien and Scott Stewart kept their places.
Before the game, Campbell said the meaningless clash would allow him to rest some legs and protect some players from suspension.
It also gave some of his players who are nearing the end of their deals a chance to show they want to be there next season and they did just that.
As the Arbroath boss alluded to post-match, he’ll now have some new contract decisions to ponder over.
The players who stepped in also give Campbell further options, showing they are capable of doing a job in the next, potentially, four games to come.
Gayfield lifted
After last week’s late title defeat to Kilmarnock, you’d have forgiven some Arbroath fans for giving the dead rubber Gayfield clash a miss.
But they turned out in numbers to see their heroes before the play-offs; 3,121 to be exact.
What a season the Lichties have had regardless of wether they get promotion or not, super proud of my home town team, one last push 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/iTxH6zU74e
— Tony Dickson (@dickieboy8) April 29, 2022
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It was the highest Championship attendance at Gayfield all season – only Hibs in the Scottish Cup was higher.
The players were only too happy to show their appreciation at full time with a ‘lap of appreciation’ as well as taking selfies with young fans.
Club talisman Michael McKenna was still greeting young fans late into the night.
Life in the old dogs yet
The old guard of Gavin Swankie and Bobby Linn played vital roles in the Arbroath midfield – just as they had done for years previously.
Between them, they have served the club for 17 years. But on Friday, the pair showed they can still play a role in the team.
Swankie, 38, strolled the game in the middle of the park, playing some inch-perfect passes into the box.
Linn at 36 played his first full game since October and put his side’s second goal on a plate for James Craigen, after doing the hard work down the left.
One thing missing from a perfect game was a goal and inches away with Hamilton pulling off a great save in the first half.
Linn’s testimonial year only seems to get better after agreeing a new deal. As he admits, he may not feature a lot. He’s still a valuable asset to the side.
McKenna top scorer
After leading the goal charts for much of the season, it looked like Michael McKenna may have to share the golden boot with Kilmarnock’s Oli Shaw.
The Killie forward struck in the 50th minute against Raith Rovers to level their tallies at 14 goals.
But the Arbroath talisman had other ideas. Introduced from the bench on 76 minutes, the 31-year-old looked an immediate threat.
And just four minutes later he was on the scoresheet heading in from a Nicky Low corner.
It is an incredible achievement for the midfielder who will continue to terrorise in a maroon jersey for another two years.
