Bobby Linn rolled back the years with a brace as Arbroath overcame FC Edinburgh 3-1 in the Premier Sports Cup.
The Lichties survived an early scare with the League One side taking the lead in the first half against the run of play.
A forced substitution saw Nicky Low introduced and he made an immediate impact, equalising from the spot.
FC Edinburgh vs Arbroath – Team News
Several changes today for Arbroath as in come Gaston, Stewart, Jacobs Gold and Donnelly.
C’mon the Lichties pic.twitter.com/y6r5r0BjE3
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) July 16, 2022
It was a much-improved Arbroath performance in the second half as substitute Linn netted with two sweet strikes to make it nine points out of nine for the Gayfield side.
Courier Sport takes a look at four talking points from the game.
Linn masterclass
At the age of 36, Bobby Linn is still a key man for Arbroath.
After signing a one-year contract extension last season, the veteran winger knows he may not play as much as he once did – or as much as he’d like.
Bobby Linns first goal today 🤯
If you think that one’s good, stay tuned for the second. That will be in the Vlog tomorrow…@Nicky_low18 with a nice wee assist in there aswell 🤣 pic.twitter.com/eFRtNX4QmX
— Blair McNally (@BlairMcNally1) July 16, 2022
However, he continues to show his worth to the side. On Saturday, it was Linn who gave the Lichties the lead as they continued to plug away at the hardy Edinburgh defence.
First, he volleyed home from another sublime Nicky Low cross, which was almost identical to his delivery against Cowdenbeath.
Perhaps Bobby Linn’s two best ever goals this afternoon! He is on fire! https://t.co/ZOzryrwY81
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) July 16, 2022
He then effortlessly fired a shot from range into the top score to complete the scoring.
Before that, he ran Crane on the wing ragged with his pace and quick feet.
Boss Campbell may still be looking to bring in new faces he hopes can improve the squad. One thing for certain is that Linn will never let him down.
Ricky Little injury
The most pressing of concerns for Arbroath following the Edinburgh clash is the condition of Ricky Little.
The Lichties stalwart had to receive treatment within the first 15 minutes of the opening half after going down with no one around him.
He returned to the field and seemed to have shaken off the niggle. However, the injury may have been a factor in being beaten to the ball in the build-up to host’s opener.
On 37 minutes he could play no further part, being replaced by Nicky Low with Jason Thomson moving to the central defensive position and David Gold slotting in at right back.
The Lichties were already low on defensive options as it was, with Little and Tam O’Brien the only two recognised centre backs on the books.
Campbell will no doubt be looking to strengthen at the back, but they will hope the injury to Little is nothing serious.
Impressive Arbroath
If Arbroath came out slowly in the first half, they made sure not to make a repeat of that in the second.
Edinburgh looked dangerous in spells, with Derek Gaston forced into a couple of saves, but the Lichties looked far stronger.
Dick Campbell’s substitutions all made a difference to the side; Low was instrumental, Linn showing his class as ever, Fosu rattled the crossbar, while Hilson and Shanks posed a threat.
Arbroath had been treating the League Cup as part of their preseason preparations ahead of their main focus of the Championship.
It’s still early days, and while Saturday’s game had the feel of a friendly, the Lichties are starting to look mightily impressive.
They have all-but progressed into the last 16 of the competition, setting up a potential glamour (and money-spinning) tie with one of the Premiership big boys.
Dick Campbell indicated he is close to bringing a few more new signings in to the club.
If they can add to the already-strong squad, the Angus club could have no problem in achieving their goal of cementing their place in Scotland’s second-tier before setting their sights on the top end of the table.
Meadowbank redevelopment
This game will go down in history as the first to have taken place at the Meadowbank sports complex since its £47m redevelopment.
The fixture was being treated as a ‘test event’ with the capacity limited to just 499 for operational reasons.
While the facilities around the complex all look top class, it doesn’t seem suited for hosting SPFL matches.
Arrived for the reopening of FC Edinburgh and Arbroath. Can just about see the pitch from the stand 🔠pic.twitter.com/MKVeRgFau4
— Scott Lorimer (@scottlorimer89) July 16, 2022
A running track separates the stand, with its three rows of seats, from the pitch which makes the action feel so distant.
The 3G surface itself looked to cause problems at times. Every bounce threw up hundreds of pellets, which also seemed to alter the path of the ball.
Fans were limited to just the stand with seemingly no room to accommodate any more supporters around the track.
That might be fine for your average League One team, but when the likes of Dunfermline or Falkirk come to visit, Citizens club chiefs might have their work cut out to find a place to house the potential-thousands of fans they could bring.
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