It was an afternoon to forget for Arbroath as they suffered a rare home defeat to Championship new boys Queen’s Park.
Goals in either half saw The Spiders go 2-0 up before Kieran Shanks gave the home side a glimmer of hope.
The Angus side did have a couple of opportunities to level it late on but Owen Coyle’s side left Gayfield with all three points.
It was a result boss Dick Campbell had no complaints about as he accepted his side were just not at the races.
Courier Sport takes a look at three talking points from a frustrating afternoon for Arbroath.
Need for striker apparent
This column has previously noted Arbroath’s lack of bite – and it was readily apparent against Queen’s Park.
In the first half, The Lichties were shooting into the wind and, in truth, even they looked to struggle.
The Spiders had some great chances to increase their lead but the home side would have been content to go in at half-time just the one down.
All fun and games here at Gayfield. Look at that wind. 😳💨 pic.twitter.com/jv6i6hK96s
— Scott Lorimer (@scottlorimer89) August 20, 2022
In the second, many in the ground would have thought, like the Inverness game, it would be one-way traffic and the Queen’s goal bombarded.
But that wasn’t the case. It was the Glasgow side who had a couple of glorious chances to increase their lead before the eventually did.
In total, Arbroath had 12 attempts on goal – just four of them were on target.
Dick Campbell spoke of his admiration for Simon Murray and how his side need someone of his ability to take the ball away from danger.
His side took to the field without a recognised striker. Daniel Fosu was played up front again but, while he is a physical presence, he is not and out-and-out forward.
Campbell has been open about his search for reinforcements up front. He’ll need to find them soon to help lift his side up the table.
One positive though, is that Kieran Shanks is off the mark in the Championship. The goal won’t be a contender for goal of the month but it will be a massive confidence booster for the young striker.
Home record shattered
After 385 days, Arbroath’s impressive home record came to an end.
The last time Dick Campbell’s tasted defeat in the Championship was July 31 2021, a 1-0 loss to Inverness on the first day of last season.
But all good things must come to an end.
The heroics from last season seem a distant memory with the Lichties still without a win.
At this stage last campaign, Arbroath had picked up seven points. Today, they prop up the table with just the two.
While Campbell acknowledges there is still a lot of work to be done to turn his side’s fortunes around, he knows it’s too early to worry yet.
After the match he said: “There’s always a fighting spirit at Arbroath and that’s not a bad thing – just get your head down and start to work.”
He’ll have to hope his side can put the last couple of results behind them quickly.
Scott Allan debut
With 22 minutes left on the clock, and Arbroath trailing by one, Scott Allan was introduced to the game to help produce some magic.
It wasn’t the immediate start everyone was hoping for as they found themselves 2-0 down a few minutes later.
Here he comes. Scott Allan introduced as Arbroath continue searching for a goal. pic.twitter.com/q10Ffrg1NL
— Scott Lorimer (@scottlorimer89) August 20, 2022
Regardless, the Lichties’ star signing looked to show early glimmers of quality despite not being fully fit.
The 30-year-old immediately looked to get on the ball and play it forward. There was also a couple of his trademark through balls played into the box.
It may have been a small cameo, and not the dream debut everyone wanted, for Scott Allan but once he’s back to full fitness, his new side will certainly reap the benefits – if they can find that killer touch.
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