Arbroath match-winner Anton Dowds recalled the “just amazing day” after his side won at Kilmarnock as he hailed the togetherness and spirit of the visiting team.
The Lichties deservedly earned the three points in their first ever victory at Rugby Park.
Dowds was the man who sealed the win, coming on from the substitute’s bench, with a towering header from a late James Craigen corner.
The goal
Dowds, who just turned 25 last week, got ahead of his man and glanced the ball into the far corner of the net, sending the travelling support wild.
Our first ever win at Rugby Park! This team are now in the record books 🔥 pic.twitter.com/G1VZwUwVyv
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) November 21, 2021
He said: “They boys had fought so hard for 60 minutes and the gaffer asked me to come on and try and hold it up and said my chance will come and thankfully I took it.
“Arbroath is a really tall side. It gets to the stage where somebody is going to be left against somebody who is a wee bit smaller.
“It was just a case of getting across the front and making sure if the ball came across and I was the first to get there.”
With the on-loan Falkirk front man, Joel Nouble and Scott Stewart, to name just three big attackers, Dowds believes their height, although an advantage, isn’t their only asset.
“None of us are that type of striker.
“We all like to get the ball down and play, running the channels as well so it’s just another string to the bow of our strikers.”
Penalty miss
Arbroath suffered a setback just moments before the goal when Michael McKenna missed from the penalty spot.
The miss looked to have blown the chance of three points but Dowds knew his side would get that one final chance.
He said: “It wasn’t like Mikey’s penalty came out of nowhere.
“We had opportunities and we knew we just had to go again.
“Mikey has been brilliant and he’s scored an unbelievable amount of goals so far this season, it was a case of ‘we go again, we’ll get another chance’ and thankfully we did.”
‘Real passion’
The win has opened up the Championship with the top five of the table separated by just two points.
But Dowds believes his part-time teammates are more than capable of competing against the full-time sides in the league.
He said: “You come here and you’re the underdog every time you step on the pitch.
“The boys train twice a week; these guys are working hard jobs 9-5 then come up the road and it’s just a real passion and enjoyment for the game that’s making sure we’re doing so well.”
Dick Campbell: Arbroath gaffer says Kilmarnock win is in his ‘top 10 results in 33-year career’
