Arbroath kicked off their 2022/23 season in style with a 1-0 win over Premiership St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup.
In truth, it was a smash and grab – with substitute Dylan Paterson sneaking in at the back post to slot home in the dying moments of the match.
The first half lacked any real entertainment or quality – but the Angus side almost went in at the break with a shock lead when Scott Stewart’s low shot struck the post.
The Buddies upped their game in the half but squandered a number of chances.
It looked to be heading for a draw and penalties but up stepped Paterson to fire home a Michael McKenna cross earning the Lichties all three points.
Courier Sport takes a look at three talking points from the clash in Paisley.
Defensive pairing
Arbroath defenders Ricky Little and Tam O’Brien were among the top centre backs in the Championship last season and proved they can cut it amongst top-flight opponents.
St Mirren new boys Jonah Ayunga and Olutoysi Olusanya were given a tough welcome to Scottish football coming up against the pair.
The forwards were on the end of some crunching, but well-time tackles from the Lichties duo.
Arbroath may be treating the group stages of this competition as part of their preparations for the league but neither Little nor O’Brien were playing as if the game was a friendly.
A rare mistake from Little early in the second half led to O’Brien dragging back Alex Greive. It looked to have gifted the hosts a penalty, but referee Kevin Clancy seemed uninterested.
Despite that one blip, the travelling Lichties’ faithful will have been delighted to see the pair on top form once again.
Substitutes
With just six players on bench out of a possible nine, Arbroath were limited in their options in changing things up.
Despite their lacking in numbers, all five substitutes made a big difference to the side.
The Lichties began to look tired and assistant Ian Campbell made some inspired changes.
Dale Hilson, James Craigen, Nicky Low, Daniel Fosu and Dylan Paterson were all introduced in the second half.
Each one made a positive impact on the game for Arbroath as they began to turn the tide against the Buddies’ pressure.
Cowdenbeath are up next for the Lichties, with the substitutes staking a real claim for a starting spot at Gayfield on Wednesday night.
New boys
Three of Arbroath’s four new recruits were handed their competitive debuts in Paisley. Only goalkeeper Cammy Gill remained on the bench.
Keaghan Jacobs lasted 64 minutes in the middle of the park, playing a holding midfield role. The 32-year-old looked to be a commanding presence just in front of the defenders.
He wasn’t afraid to stick a foot in or take a sore one to win the ball back.
Kieran Shanks also played from the start but his afternoon was a little more challenging. As the sole striker, he didn’t see much in the way of the ball, much of that down to a lack of service.
His biggest contribution to the game was clearing the ball off his own line to deny St Mirren a goal on 62 minutes. The header turned out to be a match-winning clearance.
That would be his final part as he was replaced by Daniel Fosu.
The 23-year-old was announced as a signing from Thatcham Town on Thursday and scored a stunning strike as a trialist against Montrose last weekend.
The attacking midfielder looked a real threat when he came on. His first contribution was to win the ball back in the Arbroath half before taking the ball up the park.
He also injected a bit of pace into the tiring side.
It’s early days, but initial signs show he could have something in his locker.
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