Dick Campbell has lavished the praise on Ricky Little after the influential defender made his 350th appearance for Arbroath.
Little penned a new deal last week and will be honoured with a testimonial after ten years’ service for Lichties.
His dedication to Arbroath is all the more remarkable when you consider he makes a 250-mile round-trip from his Ayrshire base for home games.
And Arbroath boss Campbell believes Little’s commitment is inspirational after he reached the milestone in a 2-1 win over Morton on Saturday.
Greenock Morton vs Arbroath – Team News
Arbroath make 2 changes from last Saturday with Derek Gaston coming in and Toyosi Olusanya making his debut.
Dylan Tait and Steven Hetherington make the bench with Ricky Little starting his 350th game for Arbroath. pic.twitter.com/lI4io0MJom
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) January 28, 2023
“Ricky is a shining example of how dedication can help you reap rewards in this game,” said Campbell.
“Every Arbroath fan should be proud to have him in our team.
“What an incredible attitude he has to training and games. You never get anything less than 100% from Ricky.
“He was sick a few weeks ago before we faced Motherwell but still got up on the Saturday morning determined to make the trip up the road to play.
“He didn’t tell me he was unwell and tried his best to play through it. In the end he had to come off after 14 minutes.
“But that’s Ricky for you and it’s why everyone loves him.
“I could count on one hand the amount of training sessions he’s missed in ten years.
“He’s a lovely human being and someone I’ve really enjoyed working with over that time. I’m delighted he’s agreed to stay.”
Arbroath transfer update
Meanwhile, Arbroath are likely to make further transfer moves in the coming days and weeks.
Lichties have signed six new players since the start of the January transfer window.
Joao Balde, Ryan Dow, Sean Adarkwa, Steven Hetherington, Toyosi Olusanya and Yasin Ben El-Mhanni have all arrived at Arbroath in the past month.
And Campbell is understood to be continuing his search for defensive and attacking reinforcements.
They are expected to make further signings before the transfer window and February loan markets close.
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