David Gold has been with Arbroath every step of the way during their meteoric rise from the depths of League Two to the Championship.
And while he may have been brought up in the green half of Edinburgh, he’d bleed maroon if you cut him open now.
Arbroath are so much more than just another football club to Gold.
And that’s why he cares so deeply about Lichties putting building blocks in place to continue their successful stint as an established Championship club.
The key to that this year is ensuring the ‘core group’ of long-serving pros like Gold are on their game and helping the nine new signings settle.
So far, so good as the players added in the summer recruit drive are fitting in well on and off the park.
One of those players, Kenan Dunnwald-Turan, told Courier Sport last week how he loves living in Arbroath.
“The additions have been excellent,” said Gold after the 4-2 weekend win over Inverness.
“They are brilliant people, brilliant players.
“I’ve been here for nine seasons and one of our biggest strengths has always been the changing room.
“It’s been about having a squad of players that sing from the same hymn sheet – all on the same page.
“It hasn’t always been like that of late but it’s certainly getting back to it now.
“We have a team of players who are all working extremely hard for one another.
“We put demands on each other. There’s a standard we expect and we are meeting that standard at the moment.
“Because of that, things are looking positive for us right now.
“I don’t want to get carried away but you can see we’ve added more quality to the group.
David Gold says Arbroath squad is coming together nicely
“We are also gelling.
“We had a really good night out recently and there was a good turnout for it.
“Things like that make the world of difference. It’s good for us to get to know each other, to bond.
“I stayed up in Arbroath on Friday after playing in Ricky Little’s testimonial golf event.
“I stayed with Jess Norey and Kenan and they are good people.
“Yes the core group who have been here for a long time are making a conscious effort to help the new players integrate.
“But the new players are also open to learning about what Arbroath is all about as a club.
“They’ve worked hard to fit in and there are some really positive signs.
“Hard work is the first trait every Arbroath fan wants to see from a player.
“And historically, when we work hard we tend to do well as we’ve got a bit of quality in our squad.
“We’ve added well to that in the summer and I hope all our hard work pays off.”
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