Arbroath have entered the final straight in their bid to preserve Championship football for a fifth successive season.
It’s going to be a rocky road to survival as they fight and scrap for every point in the last eleven games.
Just five points now separate the bottom three of Cove Rangers, Arbroath and Hamilton.
A late Toyosi Olusanya header snatched a 1-1 draw for Lichties at Cove on Saturday, as Courier Sport watched on.
And here we outline five key factors that are critical to Arbroath’s survival:
Arbroath: Home comforts are essential
There’s no getting away from it, Arbroath’s home form this season has been uncharacteristically awful.
They have managed just one win and collected seven points in 12 league matches at Gayfield.
That is the worst home record in the Championship..
Compare that to last season where they only lost once at home – a points tally only bettered by Kilmarnock.
Gayfield has been a fortress during Dick Campbell’s seven years at Arbroath.
Opponents have struggled to master the conditions, with Lichties only tasting defeat there seven times in the last three Championship seasons.
This term alone, they’ve lost seven times at Gayfield.
Arbroath have lost their mojo at home.
But they have six games left to rediscover it – against Partick, Morton, Ayr, Dundee, Cove Rangers and Hamilton.
A healthy points tally from those matches is critical.
Away day celebrations
In stark contrast to their home form, Arbroath haven’t lost on the road since November 19th.
They have beaten Dundee and Morton and drew at Ayr United and Cove in 2023.
They single-handedly dismantled Dundee on January 2nd and were equally as impressive at Morton.
At Ayr they dominated the hosts before losing a late leveller in a 2-2 draw.
And while it took Toyosi’s late strike to claim a point at Cove, no-one can deny they were worthy of it.
With trips to Hamilton, Inverness, Queen’s Park, Raith Rovers and Partick Thistle on the horizon, Arbroath have a survival route map.
Arbroath fan backing is crucial
The support for Arbroath in the past few seasons has been nothing short of phenomenal.
With an average Gayfield gate of just under 1,900 and a record 1,500 season ticket holders, Arbroath fans have backed their club in numbers.
Not only that, they have stuck by them.
On Saturday over 600 made the trip to Cove and were vocal throughout, with the drum-beating 1880 Crew providing a consistent background noise.
Around 500 @ArbroathFC fans have made the trip to @CoveRangersFC for this crucial Championship clash. pic.twitter.com/Cerd58fcDn
— Ewan Smith (@ewansmithpr) February 18, 2023
Hospitality at Gayfield is sold out for the rest of the season, as have all player sponsorships.
Merchandise sales at the club’s town centre shop are consistently impressive.
And whilst the fans are, understandably, disappointed at the current form they haven’t turned on the players or coaching staff.
With eleven cup finals left it’s not time for that either. It’s a time for togetherness.
Hamilton hitting form
86â GOAL Accies 3-0 at ICT itâs #penalty @connorsmith_88 pic.twitter.com/QQBR2BsyHR
— Hamilton Accies FC (@acciesfc) February 18, 2023
Arbroath’s survival fate has been made much harder by the upturn in fortunes at Hamilton.
With three wins in four games, Hamilton are currently THE form team in the Championship
Their 3-0 win at Inverness was impressive and they will host the Highlanders again on Tuesday night as they catch up on their game in hand over Arbroath.
A Hamilton win on Tuesday will send Arbroath bottom.
But the sides still have to meet twice – at Hamilton in 12 days’ time and on the final day of the season – leaving Arbroath’s destiny in their own hands.
Cove critical run-in
Cove’s form hasn’t quite been as impressive as Hamilton’s.
They have won just one in their last eight games, a 1-0 victory at Partick Thistle, losing a staggering 30 goals in the process.
Cove also have to face three out of the top four in the next three outings.
They have away trips to Morton and Queen’s Park and host Dundee in between.
A word of caution, however.
They have already beaten Queen’s Park and Dundee this season.
But they shipped nine goals without reply in their two most recent meetings with those sides.
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