The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Hibs opened our eyes but now we must stay focused, says Gaston
Arbroath will have to up their game if they are to ply their trade in the Premiership next season, according to keeper Derek Gaston.
The Lichties were given a glimpse of what could be to come if they are to achieve the unthinkable and gain promotion to Scotland’s top flight just five years after winning League Two.
Dick Campbell’s side were unable to cause an upset and suffered a rare home defeat on Sunday, going down 3-1 to Hibs in the Scottish Cup.
The scoreline could have been higher, if not for the Arbroath shotstopper making a string of saves to deny the Hibees.
Gaston believes it was a good lesson for his side to see the type of opposition they could come up against next season.
“It’s good to test yourself against the best teams and we saw Hibs’ strength all over the pitch,” he said.
“A team with that quality, it’s very difficult to leave someone on the ball, so you don’t get away with as much as you do in the lower leagues.”
With 24 games gone in the League, Arbroath are by no means at the top by fluke.
But Kilmarnock are hot on their heels having clawed the gap back to two points.
Gaston knows it’s far too soon to be thinking about league titles just yet.
“We just have to focus on the league now because the reward would be to play teams like Hibs every weekend,” he said.
“It’s hard to ignore because everyone is talking about it, so we can’t avoid it any more.
“But all we have done is given ourselves a wee chance, there’s a third of the season still to go.
“All we can do is keep ticking games off and see where we are at the end of the season.
“If you get ahead of yourself in this game it comes to bite you on the backside.
“So we just have to focus and do the same as we have for the last six months.”
For Gaston, even the chance to be playing in a team at the top is a welcome change.
At 34, the experienced stopper has been more accustomed to survival scraps than title fights.
He says that’s a welcome change with Arbroath.
“It’s been a few years since I was part of a team challenging,” he said.
“I had it with Morton and Albion Rovers before, but it’s mainly been midtables and fighting relegation.
“It’s nice to be involved at the top end of the league, having something to target.
“It’s a good pressure, you want to be involved in games like this.
“Going into the last five games of the season we will have something to play for, whether it’s the title or the play-offs.
“It’s a good place to be.”