Michael McKenna feels Arbroath were back to their brilliant best as they demolished Dundee with their first Dens Park win in 44 YEARS.
McKenna put his side on their way to a 4-2 victory over ten-man Dark Blues as Lichties opened up a six point gap over bottom club Hamilton.
Arbroath were bolstered by a trio of new signings with Yasin Ben El-Mhanni, Joao Balde and Sean Adarkwa all making their debuts.
But it was the gutsy performance we’ve become so accustomed to during Dick Campbell’s seven-year reign that impressed McKenna most.
And last year’s cinch Championship Player of the Year believes that needs to be replicated for the rest of the season to aid Arbroath’s survival bid.
“The spirit hasn’t been there this season for whatever reason,” said McKenna.
“But that was the Arbroath of old, right there.
“That kind of performance is our identity and it’s the only way we will climb the table.
“We need to get back to what we are good at.
“Full-time teams train every day on shapes and systems of play. We don’t have the time to do that.
Starting point
“That’s the way we need to play every week and if we do that then we’ll move up the table.
“You need to earn the right to be in the game. Only then can you go on and play.
“We can’t just turn up and turn it on in the Championship.
“Maybe in League One or League Two you can but not at this level.
“It’s only one game but it’s a great starting point.
“We have come to the best team in the league, the favourites for the title and won by scoring four goals.
“This needs to be a turning point.”
Michael McKenna: Yasin was outstanding
Meanwhile, McKenna has heaped the praise on Lichties’ new signings.
Ben El-Mhanni particularly caught the eye with his devastating set-piece deliveries for three Arbroath goals.
“Yasin was oustanding,” said McKenna.
“We’ve seen how technical he is in training and I was hoping he would bring that to 11-a-side pitch against physical defenders.
“Yasin’s technical ability isn’t up for debate and he showed he can track back and do the dirty side of the game.
“You need to be able to do that at Arbroath.
“He’s a really nice lad who is fitting in well and you can tell the fans have taken to him.
“But don’t forget we’ve got Bobby Linn here and nobody will ever be as popular as him – that’s a ‘no-win’ contest.
“Sean also did well. He had a very hard task against two Dundee giants but kept going.
“Wee Joao showed he has a bit of everything. He’s a young boy with a good future ahead of him.”
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