Arbroath swept Cowdenbeath aside with a convincing 3-0 win at Gayfield.
The result sees the Lichties maintain their position at the top of Premier Sports Group E.
The Blue Brazil sit four leagues beneath the Angus side and the gulf in quality was clear as the home side controlled the majority of the match.
They punished the Fifers with goals at either side of the break.
Former Cowdenbeath keeper was Cammy Gill could have been counted among the 900 spectators as he had next to nothing to trouble him in the Arbroath goal
Courier Sport takes a look at three talking points from a slick Arbroath performance.
Attacking threat
If Saturday was all about the Lichties’ defence, Wednesday gave the side a chance to flex its attacking muscles.
Dale Hilson led the line with support from veteran Bobby Linn, Michael McKenna and youngster Dylan Paterson in the first half.
All four had early shots at goal and it didn’t take too long to make the breakthrough with 22-year-old Paterson firing a shot into an empty net on the 17th minute after Linn saw his effort saved.
The Lichties doubled their lead on 41 minutes through Colin Hamilton. Nicky Low floated a sublime ball to the back post for the left back to head past Mason McCready.
After the break Luke Donnelly and Kieran Shanks were introduced as they looked to stake their claim in the side.
And Donnelly was on hand to make it three on 61 minutes when fellow substitutes David Gold passed to him inside the box before he curled a shot into the far corner.
Twenty shots rained down on the Blue Brazil goal with seven on target.
The only disappointment of the evening was that the couldn’t manage more than three.
Dylan Paterson
Could this be Dylan Paterson’s year at Arbroath?
The young attacking midfielder spent last season on loan at Bo’Ness Athletic and Stirling Albion.
GOAL! Fantastic ball from Thomas O’Brien found Bobby Linn whose shot was parried but Dylan Paterson was there to score!!!! 2 in 2 for Messi 1-0 pic.twitter.com/aAIOCpX1Ay
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) July 13, 2022
It’s early days but the youngster has bagged two goals in two games and made a real mark on the side.
Paterson played out wide on the right and looked to get involved at every opportunity, not afraid to put a foot in for his side.
He also whipped in a few dangerous balls which were almost capitalised on, impressing for the full 90 minutes.
He has certainly caught the eye of the Gayfield faithful, if he has similarly impressed Dick Campbell the youngster could be like a new signing for the side.
Strong side but reinforcements required
The Lichties made five changes to the side which shocked Premiership St Mirren at the weekend.
Arbroath vs Cowdenbeath – Team News
Arbroath make 5 changes this evening as in come Cammy Gill, Nicky Low, Dylan Paterson, Dale Hilson and James Craigen.
Luke Donnelly returns to the bench, and Arbroath are without Daniel Fosu. pic.twitter.com/XN2AwCDKjS
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) July 13, 2022
While there was some room for manoeuvre and an opportunity to give some a rest, the squad is still a little bit shorter than the Arbroath gaffer would like.
There’s no doubt that they still have a strong team with some of the best players in the Championship but there are not too many options should injuries or suspensions mount up.
Dick and Ian Campbell have indicated they are still looking to bring in more new faces before the league kicks off on July 30.
The club are still running the rule over a few players in regards to permanent signings before the loanees begin to arrive.
The squad currently sits at 18 and work is well under way to bring that number up to around the 22 mark.
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