The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lichties hold nerve to advance on penalties
Arbroath chalk up fifth straight win after seeing off Elgin in sudden-death shoot-out
Arbroath needed a penalty shoot-out to see off Elgin in the Irn-Bru Cup and make it five wins on the spin.
Manager Dick Campbell’s team selection had Saturday’s league trip to Dumbarton in mind with six changes from last week’s win over Stranraer.
Assistant boss Ian Campbell said: “You are never looking forward to going to penalties but we’ve already beaten Dundee United that way and I didn’t think we would miss many.
“There’s quite a few guys not playing tonight who come into contention for Saturday and that was our plan because we’ve got a really hard game.”
Dick Campbell brought in keeper Darren Hill plus Jason Thomson, Finn Graham, Ryan McCord, Danny Denholm and Kane Hester to the starting line-up at Borough Briggs.
Hester looked busy early on and went clear on a David Gold through ball but his lob failed to beat keeper Tom McHale.
Denholm then tested McHale from 25 yards while Michael McKenna latched on to a Denholm pass but his strike bounced off an Elgin defender.
Graham cushioned a ball in the home box for Hester to flick over the keeper but defender Darryl McHardy got back to clear off the goal-line.
Ten minutes before the break Hester caught a casual McHale in possession to find Denholm, whose chip back over the stranded keeper was cleared by McHardy. Denholm’s cross then rebounded off the Elgin bar.
There was a scare for the visitors a minute later when former Montrose and Forfar man Kerr Hay beat the offside trap to go clean through on Hill, who stuck out a leg to block the effort.
Arbroath forced a series of corners after the break and one led to the opener on 57 minutes. Denholm picked out the unmarked Thomas O’Brien who nodded into the roof of the net.
A minute later it should have been 2-0 when Hester teed up Denholm 14 yards out but he blazed high and wide.
McHardy brought Elgin level with seven minutes left to send the tie to penalties, but the Lichties edged through.
Elgin – McHale, Wilson, Cooper, McHardy, Farquhar, McGovern, Omar (Lowdon 61), Cameron, A Sutherland (Byrne 80), McLeish, Hay (S Sutherland 61). Subs: Taylor, Beattie, Banjo, Gourlay.
Arbroath – Hill, Gold, Thomson, O’Brien, Hamilton, Kader (Linn 86), Graham, McCord, Denholm; Hester (Wallace 78), McKenna. Subs: Swankie, Whatley, Wallace, Jamieson.
Referee: Scott Lambie