Arbroath keeper Derek Gaston believes his side will turn the pain from Friday night’s defeat to Kilmarnock into fuel to spur them on through the play-offs.
The shot-stopper says he and his teammates are still hurting after the Ayrshire side’s late Rugby Park winner.
The defeat was made worse by Killie lifting the Championship trophy moments after their late winner, ending the Lichties’ fairytale.
Turn pain into fuel
But the Angus side do still have another shot at glory in the form of the play-offs.
“You don’t want to feel that low,” he told Courier Sport. “It will be fresh in the memory of everyone.
What a way to clinch the title 😍
The Ayrshire Killie are BACK!#cinchChamp | @KilmarnockFC pic.twitter.com/l6rXnQEKKs
— SPFL (@spfl) April 25, 2022
“We don’t want to go through that again. Can we give it an extra couple of per cent so we don’t end up feeling like that?
“When things like Friday happen, we do know we can use it to our advantage.
“After Morton, we could have four games. It’s not like we’ve got months to go, we just need to get through these games.”
Despite the disappointment of missing out on the top spot, finishing second would have been unthinkable for Arbroath at the start of the season.
The 35-year-old knows the late Killie defeat will not define their season.
“It’s still very fresh in the memory and we’re feeling low,” he said.
“When you look back on it in the weeks or years to come, you’ll realise how good an accomplishment it was.
“It’s strange because if we were sitting sixth in the table and managed to sneak into the play-offs, there would be huge celebrations.
“We’d all be buzzing to be there.
“The fact we’ve been there, in the top two or three, all season it takes that wee bit of shine off it.
“But when you look at it as a whole, it’s definitely a huge achievement to finish second.”
Back positive ahead of play-offs
The physical and mental toll of Friday’s game took its toll on a number of players, including Gaston, who played much of the second half with a groin injury.
That could see a few changes in the team against Morton. But whatever happens, Gaston believes it’s important to finish that game positively.
“It’s always important to go into play-offs strong,” he said. “We don’t want to be going in off the back of a couple of defeats. We’ll be going all out on Friday to get the win.
“Whether the manager decides to rest a few players or not, that’s up to him.
“That game will take care of itself. Win, lose or draw we’ll still finish second and go into the play-offs.”
