Michael McKenna says his teammates will have no shortage of parties should Arbroath go all the way in the Championship after having to stick to soft drinks at Bobby Linn’s testimonial dinner.
Hundreds gathered at the Apex Hotel in Dundee on Sunday night for the first of a series of events to mark Linn’s 10th season at Gayfield.
But any plans the players had to enjoy a night out were scuppered when the clash against fellow title rivals Partick Thistle was rearranged.
A massive thank you to everyone who helped to make the @BobbyLinnTest dinner so special last night!
There will be plenty more opportunities to mark the @ArbroathFC’s legend’s testimonial year so keep your eyes on this page for announcements. pic.twitter.com/5nofOcGT7v
— Bobby Linn Testimonial (@BobbyLinnTest) February 28, 2022
The postponed fixture was moved to Tuesday, meaning alcohol was out of the question for the high-flying Lichties.
No alcohol
As the players sat down to their table, the complimentary wines and beers were taken away and replaced with soft drinks and water.
Even boss Dick Campbell was keeping tabs to make sure his players weren’t having a cheeky drink.
While the opportunity of a night out would have been welcome after an incredible season, McKenna says there is still too much at stake to be letting their hair down now.
What a night, what a man, ❤️ @BobbyLinnTest pic.twitter.com/hsFyQXqlNh
— Lewis Toshney (@lewistoshney) February 28, 2022
“It was a brilliant night of entertainment and speakers,” he told Courier Sport.
“I’m delighted for Bobby, he deserves it. He’s had a great career and he’s a very likeable person and that showed.
“The gaffer was wandering around, having a wee look and sniff at our drinks
“We all originally planned to make a night of it and stay up in Dundee but it was just unfortunate that this game was rearranged.
“The stage we’re at in the season and the magnitude of the game, it wouldn’t be right to be drinking.
“We’re not getting carried away. It’s still so tight and we’re only on top on goal difference but there wouldn’t be a shortage of parties at the end of the season, that’s for sure.”
Partick game ‘huge’
Footballers may have gotten away with a drink-fuelled night out in the 80s but McKenna knows his side will have to be fully-focused and on top of their game when Thistle come to Gayfield.
Ian McCall’s side are fifth but still have three games and hand. If they win those, they could be level on points with Arbroath and Killie.
McKenna knows how big the Thistle game is and knows how difficult a challenge lies ahead.
“It’s a huge game,” he explained. “They are all going to be like that now.
“So much balances on the game and there will be other teams looking on from elsewhere.
“We’ve always seen Partick as a [title] contender.
“They went through a good run of eight games without conceding.
“That shows they’re defensively solid but they’ve got goalscorers in their team and boys who can create and take people on in the wide areas
“On our day we believe we can beat anyone and we need to be at it.
“The two home games coming up are massive for us. We’ve got a really good record against Partick and Dunfermline.”
