ARBROATH SIT proudly at the top of the division—albeit on goal difference—after dream debuts by Bryan Scott and Barry Sellars.

And Lichties taskmaster John McGlashan feels the side could go on to do even better after revealing his 3-0 winners over Queen’s Park still have more left in the tank.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season,” he explained. “To go to Hampden and get all three points in such a manner is great a credit to the players.

“Performance-wise it was good, but I know we can play a bit better. There are parts of the game we will have to work on because we are not the finished article.”

The opening-day win away from home has come as a relief to a side which suffered a travelling hoodoo for a great part of the 2005-2006 campaign.

“It took us until January to record our first away win last season,” the boss continued. “It was a monkey off our back when we did and winning at Hampden is one less concern for us.”

Scott set up Sellars’ opener after replacing Nicky Smith and went on to bag a double in the second half to send the visiting fans home to Angus on a high.

McGlashan said the half-hour on the bench for the Scone Thistle signing worked in his favour, albeit unintentionally.

He went on, “I said before the match that we would be facing one of our most difficult games, and not only was it against a difficult side, but it was at Hampden.

“The surroundings can give some players a lift and others can lose focus, so it’s a bit more pressurised than some games.

“The first 10-15 minutes were a bit frenetic, but we settled down to our game. Our defending was excellent when Queen’s Park put three up front.

“In hindsight, Bryan watching the first half-hour as he did was a good thing as he was able to see the weaknesses in Queen’s Park and saw the pace of the game.

“When he went on he was straight into the game and nearly scored with his first touch, which boosted his confidence.

“It could have been so different had he been on from the start. In making his debut, there was always the chance he could have run himself into the ground.”

Having delivered the goods, the onus is now on the Lichties to retain their position at the head of the pack.

“It’s a tough league, but let’s hope we can stay as close as we can to the top for as long as possible,” added the manager.

The side came through the clash with no injuries to report ahead of Wednesday’s CIS Cup clash against Elgin City at Gayfield.

MONTROSE co-manager David Robertson said he was satisfied with his team’s performance in their one-all draw against Dumbarton at Links Park.

The Gable Endies took the lead on 28 minutes when a Hugh Davidson pass on the edge of the box found Greig Henslee with a yard of space in front of goal and he duly slotted past keeper Stephen Grindlay.

Montrose’s lead didn’t last long, though. Dumbarton’s David Bagan lost his marker and picked up a long-ball into the box before coolly scoring from a tight angle on 36 minutes.

There wasn’t a clear chance for either side in the second half and both teams seemed content with a point.

Robertson said, “We lost a sloppy goal but overall we’ve got to be pleased with our performance since it was the first game of the season.”

Co-manager Eddie Wolecki added, “Andy Reid hardly had a save to make the whole game.”

Montrose fielded a trialist in their starting line-up, right-winger Paul Walker, who was one of the team’s best performers.

Robertson said that Walker would soon put pen to paper on a short-term deal at the club.

Montrose scorer Greig Henslee was substituted at half time, but the midfielder said he was pleased to get off the mark for the season.

“I wasn’t feeling that great. I felt a bit sick and had a sore head and knew that it wasn’t fair to the team to go out for the second half.

“I was pleased with my goal. I got 10 goals last season, so it’s good to get off the mark.

“The lads are gutted that we didn’t get the three points, which I think is a good sign.

“There’s definitely more to come from this team.”