Michael McKenna believes Arbroath could soon haul other teams into a Championship relegation dogfight.
McKenna’s winner in a 2-1 victory over Morton helped Lichties move to within a point of eighth-placed Cove Rangers.
Bottom side Hamilton also won for the second successive league game.
And while it has been a three-way fight at the foot of the table for much of the season, the gap above isn’t insurmountable.
Arbroath welcome Raith Rovers to Gayfield on Saturday knowing victory will close the deficit on the Kirkcaldy side to six points.
Morton and Inverness are also still not completely clear of trouble.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of changes happen between now and the end of the season,” said McKenna
“There could be teams above us three who get dragged into a battle. Hopefully, that’s the case.
“We’re still not in a great position but all we can do is go week-to-week and fight for points.
“We have got a great fighting spirit and have signed well in January.
“A few of the boys haven’t been great this year, in comparison to last year. I include myself in that.
🗣 "To score 15 from midfield it's a really good achievement"
Michael McKenna took home the award for Championship Player of the Year 👇 pic.twitter.com/fvOCCJjmmp
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 2, 2022
“But if we can get our form back we can back it up with more points.
“After last year, there was so much expectation on our shoulders.
“It’s not until now, when we’ve played a big part of the season, that people are saying if we finish mid-table it will be good.
“But it’s not what we wanted. At the start of the season, everyone was looking for a season like last year.
“It becomes difficult because of that. It’s almost like we’ve suffered a hangover but I think that’s slowly coming out of system.
“If we can survive this season then we can look forward to next year.”
Michael McKenna: I caught volley sweet
Meanwhile, McKenna insists he knew his stunning half-volley winner was going in the second it left his boot.
McKenna bagged one of the goals of the season as he belted a Ryan Dow pass into the top corner.
It’s the second time this year McKenna has netted in a 2-1 win at Cappielow.
“That goal means so much more because it’s a winner,” said McKenna.
“But I was more disappointed with the one that got away at the end. If I could have scored the second one we could have enjoyed the last ten minutes.
“I’m good at volleys and half-volleys. I practice them a lot in training.
“When Ryan played the ball into me it had a little bounce. That made it an easy decision over what to do.
“Sometimes when you get the ball to feet you take an extra touch and make a mistake.
“But I’ve got a good technique with volleys and thankfully I caught it sweet. It was a great feeling to see it go in.”
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