Arbroath boss Paul Sheerin was delighted with the impressive offensive and defensive qualities shown by his side in the comprehensive victory over Angus rivals Forfar at Gayfield.
The Lichties took the game by the scruff of the neck and never looked like losing after grabbing an early goal, and had it not been for the fine form of visiting keeper Darren Hill the final margin of victory could have been even more emphatic.
Sheerin said: “We had a barrowload of chances and in the final 15 minutes in particular I thought we were outstanding in the way we moved the ball about.
“But to get a clean sheet was also massive for us after conceding nine goals in our last two games.”
Arbroath opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Alan Cook converted a Ross Chisholm cross to register his sixth goal of the season.
The home side continued to enjoy the better possession but Chris Templeman came close to equalising just before the interval with a header which Scott Morrison got his fingertips to and lifted the ball over the bar.
It was mainly one-way traffic in the second half, however, with Bobby Linn, Lee Erwin and Alex Keddie all coming close to extending Arbroath’s lead.
The Lichties finally got their second in the 69th minute when Erwin created a chance for sub Lee Sibanda who sent a looping header over Hill’s head and into the net.
Erwin sealed the win eight minutes from the end when he turned brilliantly on the edge of the box before shooting low beyond the helpless Hill.
Forfar’s unhappy afternoon was made complete in the final minute when skipper Gavin Swankie, a former Arbroath favourite, said something to referee Don Robertson and instantly received his marching orders.
Forfar boss Dick Campbell offered no excuses, saying: “Arbroath deserved to win. Their manager had them well fired up, but we were a shadow of the team we were last week against Rangers.”