Arbroath suffered their fifth defeat in a row after going down 2-0 to Partick Thistle at Gayfield.
The home side struggled to really lay a glove on Ian McCall’s side and faced an even tougher task when Scott Allan was shown red for two rash, bookable challenges in the space of a minute.
Late goals from former Lichtie Anton Dowds and Cole McKinnon earned all three points for the Jags.
It was another afternoon to forget for the Angus side who remain bottom of the Championship, still searching for their first win.
Key moments
There was little to talk about in first half but Arbroath were lucky Mason Hancock was in the right place at the right time to deny the visitors just after the restart.
Kyle Turner found his way into the box and fired a shot at Derek Gaston. The effort found it’s way past the keeper but the Aberdeen loanee was there to clear the ball away.
Arbroath were reduced to ten-men after a couple of moments of madness from Scott Allan on 50 minutes.
The midfielder hacked down a Partick player as they looked to break, the referee played on but before the next stoppage in play, the former Hibs man left an arm in on Ross Docherty.
He was then given two yellows on the spot and sent for an early bath.
The sending off made a big difference with the home side pegged back into their own half.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying though but Arbroath were made to pay on 86 minutes when former loanee Anton Dowds tapped into an empty net after Docherty’s fierce strike rattled the post.
The visitors then doubled their lead through a fantastic solo effort from Cole McKinnon
Arbroath star man – Ricky Little
It was another tough afternoon for Arbroath with not too many highlights.
Ricky Little once again stood out as the Lichties’ top performer.
The veteran centre back won just about every header and was a force to be reckoned with at the back.
His defensive partner Colin Hamilton also had a solid game.
Both were powerless to stop Thistle’s goal.
Player ratings
Gaston 7; Stewart 6, Little 8, Hamilton 8, Hancock 7; Jacobs 6, Allan (sent off) 3, Tait 7, Fosu 6 (Shanks 6), Linn 6 (Corfe 4); Hilson 6 (Oakley 6).
Manager under the microscope
Dick Campbell made two changes to the side which lost out to Thistle in the Premier Sports Cup.
Colin Hamilton returning to the starting XI from injury while new signing Dylan Tait made his debut.
Arbroath vs Partick Thistle – Team News
Arbroath are without Thomas O’Brien, Nicky Low and Michael McKenna today, but Dylan Tait makes his debut with Marcel Oakley and Kareem Isiaka on the bench.
C’mon the Lichties pic.twitter.com/WPjbwlSCZM
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) September 3, 2022
Fellow deadline day signings Marcel Oakley and Kareem Isiaka started on the bench.
Out dropped the injured Michael McKenna and Jason Thomson, who left the club last week.
Campbell was forced into an early change with Fosu having to replaced on 38 minutes due to injury,
He was replaced by Kieran Shanks, with Hilson dropping back to Fosu’s position on the right.
On 54 minutes, he sought to add some fresh legs to the left wing with Deri Corfe replacing Bobby Linn.
Man in the middle
Duncan Williams got the big calls right and handled the Allan situation correctly
He was hounded by the Partick players at times to show more yellow cards but didn’t rise to their pleas.
In all, a good performance from the man in the middle.
Arbroath bookings: Fosu, 23; Tait, 43, Allan, 50 (second yellow, 50), Shanks
Partick bookings: Milne, 25; Ross Docherty, 87.
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