Arbroath boss Dick Campbell has hailed the impact striker Jack Hamilton has made after his hat-trick saw the Lichties into the fifth round of the Scottish Cup.
A well-worked first-half goal and two close range finishes from the on-loan Livingston forward set up a home tie with Hibs in the next round of the tournament.
Hamilton now has four goals to his tally after just four appearances in his second stint in the maroon jersey.
The 21-year-old is already half way to matching his tally from his Gayfield loan last season where he netted eight in 14 appearances.
Hamilton hat-trick
Following the departure of Joel Nouble back to Livi earlier this month, Campbell knows Hamilton is the perfect replacement and has backed him to surpass least seasons total.
“He did really well,” he said.
⚽️⚽️⚽️ @Jackthamilton30
What an afternoon for Jack! pic.twitter.com/ZIDBLuJ1az
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) January 22, 2022
“He’s not the big flashy player that Nouble is, but he’s a straight replacement for him.
“Nouble got four goals [in 23 games], Jack’s got four goals in four games! I was delighted for him.
“He scored 8 goals in 15 games last year, there’s no reason why he can’t get more.”
Dangerous Darvel
Hamilton’s hat-trick ensured there was no cup upset as the Lichties took on the West of Scotland League Premier Division side for the first time.
The visitors started the game strongly and Campbell feared his side might have had a long afternoon ahead of them.
“It was a potential banana skin,” he admitted.
“I thought Darvel started the first 15 minutes better than us.
“We were thinking we were going to have a game on our hands but then we upped it a bit. All credit to Darvel.
“I was getting a wee bit anxious and angry but we sorted it out and in the second half we had waves of attack.
“My goalie has not had a save to make.
“The cup tie is all about getting into the next round and we deserved it.”
Arbroath 3-0 Darvel: Jack Hamilton hat-trick fires Lichties into Scottish Cup fifth round
