Arbroath 0 Ross County 0
Inspiration can be found in many forms. In the hospitality suite at Gayfield, it stands quietly – bald and bespectacled – in a corner.
John McGlynn is in the house. The Falkirk manager has likely led the Bairns to a top six spot and he can now anticipate a Scottish Cup date at Hampden. But the inspiration for the Red Lichties is more specific.
McGlynn led Falkirk to two successive promotions. It is a feat that Arbroath seek to replicate after winning League One last season and now sitting fourth in the Championship.
If the club are to ascend to the Premiership, however, it will most likely be via the play-offs. This route requires any contender to win a succession of ties, throw a double six and produce a verified photie of Elvis sitting on Shergar. It is that difficult.
McGlynn opted for the more straightforward route of leading his side to successive championships. Colin Hamilton and David Gold, the co-managers at Arbroath, face a longer trek.
The draw against Ross County, witnessed by McGlynn, was hardly disastrous for either side. The point for County took them off the basement of the Championship. Arbroath now sit seven points clear of fourth place.
Arbroath fan Paddy Evans proudly displays the club’s crest on his woollen hat
Arbroath and Ross County players in a stramash during Saturday’s goalless draw at Gayfield
Falkirk boss John McGlynn, above left, who led the Bairns to successive promotions, chats before the Arbroath game with his lookalike Hugh MacDonald, of On The Road fame
These were the takeaways from a match that produced two deserved red cards for County, one accusation of punching against an unnamed Lichtie player made by County manager Stuart Kettlewell, and not one crafted opportunity.
This disparity did nothing to reduce the enthusiasm of the crowd. They gathered to roar despite there being little to shout about. They also came to tell stories about the club they love, and to bear witness to the truth that Arbroath on a sunny Saturday has substantial charms that can put a goalless draw in the shade.
The white face of Tutties Neuk surely required a dose of Factor 50 as the sun bore down on this famous watering hole for the pilgrims to Gayfield. Some decided to take their leisure outside. This was an option avoided by generations of polar explorers but taken by Keith Whitton and Paddy Evans. Both make regular treks to the ground. Whitton, 65, travels up from his home in Carstairs. Evans, 71, takes the bus from Aberdeen.
Or at least they do when the caravan season is closed. They both have caravans on a site near the ground, so journeys will be easier when it opens next week.
‘I was introduced to Arbroath by my dad when I was a boy and I love it,’ said Whitton. ‘It’s been a great season. The team has gelled and anything is possible.’
Evans, once an Aberdeen fan, succumbed to the charms of Arbroath after he opted for regular visits to the caravan. ‘I have a disabled daughter and this town has lifted her after her accident,’ he says. ‘This place and this club are in my heart.’
It is also at the heart of the community. This is personified by Tammy Stuart, community health and well-being co-ordinator.
She said: ‘As a 12-year-old, I came from a low-income family and didn’t have anywhere to go. So I came to Gayfield just to hang around. The players must have thought I was annoying. I was just always around. But it was somewhere for me to come. It was a place I felt at home in.’
Tammy Stuart has been attending Gayfield since she was 12, and is now a community health and well-being co-ordinator
The fans enjoy a splendid day in the sun watching Arbroath take on Ross County
A superb aerial view of Arbroath’s Gayfield ground ahead of Saturday’s Championship clash
That was in 1988. ‘It wasn’t until I got older that I realised how important it had been for me and how it had given me a sense of belonging,’ she added. ‘It’s good to be able to come back and give back.’
Her work includes organising men and women’s support groups, a women’s recreational team, a drop-in cafe in the town and after-school clubs for kids.
The Arbroath Community Trust are growing and one of their trustees, Dave Durno, a former player, is keen to continue that trend. ‘We are doing so well on the field but we are also working hard off it,’ he said. He made his debut for the club in 1979 but, at 64, and now retired from full-time employment, he is keen to continue his association.
‘I am an Arbroath guy. I came here as a boy and I came through the youth ranks as a player. I now want to spend much of my time helping here,’ he said.
Paul Reid, chief executive officer of the club, is also a former player, albeit at youth level. After working in the commercial department at Dundee United, he returned to Gayfield as commercial manager before becoming CEO.
He has been energised but not shocked by the progress on the field. ‘We have shown this has not been done by fluke,’ he said. ‘We have worked hard. We have brought in a good blend of players. We have really good guys, a brilliant dressing room., The two managers are doing more than we asked. We were targeting a play-off spot last season and we won the title. This season we have exceeded expectations. There is not a team in the Championship we haven’t beaten.’
But how do a club like Arbroath defy the reality of part-time football and a low budget in comparison to division rivals?
‘We pull in the one direction – players, managers, directors, fans,’ said Reid. ‘The next milestone is to secure a play-off spot.’
Former Arbroath player David Durno is a trustee of the expanding Arbroath Community Trust
The fans enjoy a splendid day’s entertainment in the March sunshine at Gayfield
Scott Strachan was made famous for his ‘jeezy peeps’ remark while commentating on an Arbroath match
He has not dared to contemplate the prospect of a place in the Premiership. ‘That is still a long way off,’ he said. ‘We came close under Dick Campbell a couple of years ago, but the boring answer is one game at a time.’
Another game is ticked off and Arbroath inch closer to playing a part in the business end of the season.
The sun was setting when Colin Hamilton emerged from the dressing-room. ‘The game was there to be won and we haven’t done enough,’ he conceded. ‘That’s a disappointment.’
Ross County, organised and committed, defied the red cards to neutralise Arbroath on the day, but can Hamilton take consolation from the league position?
‘We are absolutely ecstatic about how the season has gone, let’s not beat about the bush,’ he said. ‘We deserve to be there. If you take a step back and look at the overall picture, the boys deserve credit.’
He added: ‘Everybody is working together. We all gather around each other.’
Back in the hospitality suite, Scott Strachan tended to the club guests. He was made famous three years ago when his response as match commentator to an errant free-kick went viral. His ‘jeezy peeps’ echoed around the world.
His present incredulity concerns the form of his team. ‘We are punching above our weight, I would have taken survival at the start of the season but the managers have made great signings and the structure of the club is good,’ he said.
‘I think St Johnstone will win the league but I believe it is realistic to make the play-offs.’
Anything more and he will have to come up with something stronger than jeezy peeps.
