Michael McKenna was an Arbroath driving force as they challenged for promotion to the Scottish Premiership last term.
And with one unbelievable swipe of his right boot against Morton, he netted a goal that could be so, so crucial in their Championship survival fight.
McKenna netted a late long-range winner after Colin Hamilton had cancelled out George Oakley’s opener in a 2-1 win at Cappielow.
Arbroath v Morton: Key moments
It took Morton just three minutes to make the breakthrough.
Debutant Oakley eventually got on the end of a Carlo Pignatiello cross and headed home from close range.
Arbroath held their own for the rest of the first half, pressing for a leveller.
Michael McKenna, Ryan Dow and Colin Hamilton all had long-range efforts thwarted by Ton keeper Brian Schwake.
But Arbroath’s best effort fell to Sean Adarkwa who cut in from the left touchline to curl a right foot effort towards the top corner.
Schwake blocked that strike but Arbroath were looking far more potent going forward than they have in recent months.
Ironically, it was defender Colin Hamilton who drew Lichties level on 63 minutes as he tapped in Adarkwa’s low effort from close range.
Arbroath’s second was a thing of beauty as McKenna unleashed an unstoppable 25 yard effort into the top corner.
Arbroath player ratings
Arbroath: Gaston 7, Stewart 7, Hamilton 7, O’Brien 7, Little 7, Balde 8 (Gold 3), McKenna 8, Bitsindou 7, Olusanya 6 (Hilson 4), Adarkwa 8, Dow 7 (Hetherington 4). Subs not used: Gill, Gold, Linn, Ben El-Mhanni, Allan, Tait.
Arbroath v Morton star man
Adarkwa is a real nuisance for Arbroath and on any other day he’d win this award hands down.
But you simply can’t ignore the impact Michael McKenna made with his overall play and goal.
Manager under the microscope
Dick Campbell rallied his Arbroath troops with an inspired pre-match speech where he vowed his players were ‘ready to do battle in the trenches.’
With Cove losing heavily to Ayr United on Friday night, this was a real opportunity for Lichties to close the gap on their relegation rivals.
Ricky Little, who has been granted an Arbroath testimonial after signing a new deal, started his 350th game for the Angus side.
And Campbell handed a debut to another of his six January signings with Toyosi Olusanya partnering Sean Adarkwa in attack.
Having two men in attack is a luxury Arbroath have rarely experienced this term.
And it certainly offered Lichties more options with Adarkwa’s clever hold-up play the perfect foil for Toyosi’s pace.
Campbell elected to watch most of the first period from the stand.
But he returned to the dugout to roar them on before the break.
His January transfer business has made a big difference to this team.
And with new faces expected in the coming weeks, the future looks brighter for Arbroath.
Man in the middle
Mike Roncone ignored a lot of niggly fouls which, ironically, allowed the game to flow.
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