Campbell calls upon Arbroath to set up play-off showdown

DICK Campbell aims to set up a pulsating Premiership play-off semi-final second leg at Gayfield when his side face Inverness Caley Thistle tonight.

The Lichties travel to the Highland capital for the semi-final opener against an in-form Caley side.

The teams last faced each other in March at the Caledonian Stadium, when the Highlanders inflicted Arbroath’s heaviest defeat of the season.

Campbell says lessons have been learnt from that 3-0 loss as they look to put themselves in the best position for the returning leg in four days’ time.

“We want to bring the game back alive,” he said.

“We’ve been doing it all season but this is the big one to get us into the final.

“I’ve got no issues with who we’re playing or what we’re going to do. Anybody who plays us needs to play really well and catch us on an off day.”

The Arbroath boss’s main worry ahead of the game is who to play.

After their galling 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock, the

Lichties bounced back with a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Morton.

Campbell is now in a quandary over who to start against Caley.

“You just have to bring the game on,” he said.

“My big problem is the team selection.

“I made nine changes last time and we still won. I’ve got all of these problems in my mind but I know what we’ve got to do.”

Billy Dodds’ men dispatched Partick Thistle over two legs in the playoff quarter finals.

The Angus side, meanwhile, head into their promotion push fresh off the back of an 11-day rest.

Boss Campbell believes that could have done his part-time players the world of good after a tiring campaign.

“I think so,” he said. “Time will tell if they needed it but I’m very happy with the boys.

“No matter what they do, they have been a credit to Arbroath Football Club all season and we need one last big effort.”