Fans out in force as Lichties face play-off crunch against ICT

GAYFIELD is set to host one of its biggest attendances in years when Arbroath face Inverness in the deciding leg of their Premiership play-off semi-final.

It’s all to play for in tonight’s tie, with the game evenly poised after a 0-0 first-leg draw in the Highlands.

Dick Campbell’s side will fancy their chances given their exceptional record at home, only losing once in the league this season.

It was against Caley but a packed Gayfield will hope to see the Lichties beat the Highlanders for the first time this season and take another stride to achieving a remarkable top-flight promotion.

Fans seem desperate to soak up the atmosphere, despite the game being live on BBC Scotland.

Tele Sport understands ticket sales are around the 3,500 mark – a stark comparison to five years ago with gates averaging around 700.

It is phenomenal for the part-time club, given season ticket sales are not valid for the play-offs due to SPFL rules.

With tickets still on sale, there are hopes the attendance could surpass 4,000 before the 7.45pm kick off.

The Scottish Cup clash with Hibs in February saw an attendance of 4,049.

Arbroath chairman Mike Caird praised the fans for backing their club.

“We’ve had an amazing support that has grown and grown over the season,” he said.

“The scenes at our last home game against Morton were fantastic. More than 3,000 people came to see us for a game that did not really mean too much.

“We are on course to beat that attendance by some margin.

“It is going to be a fantastic atmosphere.”

Tickets must be bought in advance on the Arbroath website. No cash gates will be in operation tonight.

Around 4,000 fans are expected at Gayfield tonight.