Dick Campbell was on a rollercoaster of emotions in the dying moments of Arbroath’s 2-2 draw with Hamilton – which saw them go five points clear at the top of the table.
It looked like the Angus side were set to suffer only their second home defeat of the season until Brian Easton bundled over Jack Hamilton in the 93rd minute.
Up stepped Michael McKenna to fire his side’s second penalty of the game into the net for a hard-earned point.
With Kilmarnock suffering a shock derby defeat to Ayr United, it meant the Lichties moved another point ahead of them at the Championship summit.
‘Dropped our standards’
Campbell admits it was a poor performance from his side but was overjoyed at the result.
“With 92 minutes on the clock I’m thinking ‘for goodness’ sake’,” he said. “Then on 93 we’re five points clear. I am absolutely delighted.
“I don’t think we played well.
Nerves of steel as @Mikey_211991 nets his 13th goal of the season pic.twitter.com/SKbPuJ4D8g
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) February 9, 2022
“That’s only the third time that I can put my hands up and say we dropped our standards a bit.
“Maybe that had something to do with Hamilton, they played the game really well tonight.
“John [Rankin] was in charge tonight and he will have been very proud of his team. They were better than us.
Moving on
Although happy with the result, Campbell had hoped for a better showing from his players, who looked a bit off the pace compared to their display against Kilmarnock in their last game.
But the side will now put the result behind them and regroup ahead of the visit of Hibs in the Scottish Cup.
“I’m disappointed in the performance but absolutely delighted with the attitude of my players,” he said.
“But there were not many players that got pass marks.
“We’ll get a good rest until the Hibs game on Sunday then we’ll give them a good rest next week. But it’s a great result.
“I can’t believe we’ve moved further ahead in the league but that’s football.”
Hamilton reaction
Hamilton assistant John Rankin was frustrated his side weren’t able to see out the game.
“I can’t quite put it into words, to be honest.
“We didn’t feel threatened at all in the second half. The boys felt really comfortable in what they were doing.
“But to give away a penalty in that time – everyone is disappointed.
“We had three points in the bag, it was done and dusted then came the killer punch.
“It feels like a defeat.”
Arbroath 2-2 Hamilton: Late McKenna penalty rescues point as Lichties go FIVE points clear at top
