The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Red Lichties deserve praise and recognition
Arbroath fully merit recognition
Question: What do Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, PSG and Dortmund have in common with Arbroath? Answer: They are all still unbeaten in their respective leagues as we approach Christmas.
The great man will most certainly not thank me for pointing this out but there surely has to be more recognition for what veteran boss Dick Campbell and his Red Lichties have achieved so far this season.
They have played 15, won 14, drawn one and lost none in Ladbrokes League 1 and sit proudly at the top of the table 10 points ahead of nearest challengers Raith.
The Angus side’s achievement is all the more remarkable considering the fact that the division is one of the most competitive around as shown by the fact only six points separate second bottom Brechin from third-top East Fife.
As well as Brechin, there is also, of course, the other Angus sides to cope with this season in the shape of Forfar and Montrose, with tough derbies to be negotiated at regular intervals with another at Station Park this Saturday.
At the start of the season, Dumbarton, who had just come down from the Championship, along with Raith, who had retained their full-time status, were very much the favourites to take the league title.
However, Arbroath have been the early ferocious pacesetters and while Campbell is far too long in the tooth to take anything for granted, their points tally already looks a daunting one to those hoping to catch them.
The 65-year-old is running with a really tight squad this season and he will be keeping his fingers crossed that his players continue to avoid injury but it is a given he’ll be trying to add quality reinforcements in the January window.
Until then, the manager will continue to extract the best from the resources at his disposal with the likes of Bobby Linn on fire this season and Gavin Swankie, who is now 35 years young, given a new lease of life with a move back into a deeper midfield role.
Overall, the team has been scoring for fun and have hit the back of the net 39 times in their 15 games – crucially, they have also been miserly at the back, conceding just 12.
That has left Arbroath with a goal difference of plus 27 – in contrast, thirdplaced East Fife are minus one.
There is also not a reliance on just one striker – there is no Lawrence Shankland or Stephen Dobbie type in the team – instead everyone including those coming off the bench have chipped in with goals.
However, with more than half the season remaining, Campbell will be determined that no one is allowed to get ahead of themselves with Linn himself reiterating the one-game-at-atime mantra after Saturday’s 5-2 win over Stenhousemuir.
However, it is difficult not to cast one eye already to the fixture at Gayfield on December 22 with John McGlynn’s Raith.
Campbell, quite rightly, often points out that two seasons ago, Forfar went 11 points ahead of Arbroath in February but the Red Lichties managed to claw back the deficit to win the League 2 title.
But if Arbroath can successfully negotiate their next two games against Forfar and Airdrie, then the meeting with the Kirkcaldy side could go a long way to deciding who will eventually win automatic promotion to the Championship.
That is all still conjecture but what is certain is that Campbell, his coaching staff and players can quite rightly and proudly reflect on what they have already achieved so far this season – and the fact they can be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of the mighty Liverpool and PSG.