The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Lichties handed wake-up call as Thistle net seven
ARBROATH MANAGER Paul Sheerin says he hopes his side’s 7-1 defeat at the hands of Inverness Caley Thistle at Gayfield last night acts as a wake-up call.
In their final warm-up game before the start to their competitive matches on Saturday against Stenhousemuir in the Ramsdens Cup, the Lichties were totally outclassed by the top flight side.
The defeat comes just days after recording an excellent 1-0 win against Premier League new boys Partick Thistle at Gayfield in another pre-season friendly.
With only days now until the cup tie, the manager said: “I hope it acts as a wake up call.
“We can’t take anything from that game and it is not ideal preparation.
“But you take your medicine and go again on Saturday.”
The game had hardly begun before Caley Thistle opened the scoring on seven minutes when a cross from Aaron Doran fooled Lichties’ keeper Scott Morrison and Billy McKay got the first of the game.
Just two minutes later, McKay followed up with a powerful header to make it 2-0 before he completed his hat-trick on 15 minutes with a great close range shot.
By the half-hour mark, things had gone from bad to worse for the home side, when McKay again netted another header.
And after the interval it didn’t get any better for Arbroath, who were finding it difficult to even move out of their own half.
On 61 minutes Josh Meekings added his name to the scoresheet before Liam Polworth added a sixth for Terry Butcher’s side, who proved their near-miss for a European place last season was no fluke.
The only chance for the Lichties came on 72 minutes when they managed to pull a goal back through a spectacular effort from Darren Smith
He caught the ball on the volley and smashed home a great strike from the edge of the box.
But the damage had already been done and a good finish from McKay saw him notch up his fifth goal of the game and the visitors’ seventh. Attendance: 435 Arbroath: Morrison, Sullivan (Chisholm 13, Milne 72), Hamilton, Banjo, Travis (Little 75), Keddie, Yao (Smith 59), Sheerin, Bayne (Martin 69), Sibanda, Cook (Lindsay 72).