Arbroath boss Dick Campbell is the master of one-liners but his most favourite catchphrase is ‘Saturday’s fitba day.’
Sadly for Campbell and Arbroath there won’t be any traditional 3pm kick-offs in Saturday during the entire month of March.
Arbroath have ten games to save their Championship status.
Five of these, including their first four, will take place under the floodlights on a Friday night.
One will be a Tuesday night trip to Inverness, with just four Saturday matches.
The full glare of the BBC Scotland TV cameras will be on Arbroath three times in March, starting with tomorrow’s trip to Hamilton.
And here, Courier Sport assesses the route to survival for Lichties in the crucial run-in:
Hamilton heroes or Accies also-rans?
There’s no getting away from it, the matches against Hamilton will be pivotal to Arbroath’s survival hopes.
Arbroath face Hamilton in the first and last of their final ten game run-in.
So far this season, there’s been very little to choose between the two sides.
A single point separates 10th-placed Arbroath from second bottom Accies.
And they’ve both picked up 1-0 home wins in the respective meetings, with Bobby Linn netting a trademark stunner the last time the sides met.
A win for Accies on Friday would open up a four point gap at the bottom and could leave Arbroath six adrift of Cove Rangers, should Paul Hartley’s men beat Dundee.
Conversely, victory for the visitors will put them into eighth place on goal difference and pile the pressure onto Cove.
Hamilton are hoping for a bumper crowd at New Douglas Park with entry just £5 for all.
Friday night fever for Arbroath
Lichties have kept their powder dry on the Friday night fixture chaos, aside from one sentence on social media as rescheduling was announced.
In it they stated: “The tough run in has now become even more challenging for our part-time players.”
When pressed on it neither Dick Campbell or any of his players have complained.
In trademark Arbroath style, they have vowed to roll their sleeves up and get on with it.
But the simple fact is the rescheduling IS a major inconvenience to Arbroath.
It may not alter results but it will cause their part-time players headache in seeking time off from their day jobs.
It will also have an impact on the Gayfield side’s previously sold-out hospitality, with only the visits of Dundee on April 8th and Cove Rangers on April 22nd surviving the switch from Saturday.
Campbell recently stated Arbroath can use the Friday night focus to their advantage by ‘upping their game’ for the TV cameras.
And it should be noted that Arbroath lost just once under eight floodlight games last terms, albeit in the crucial Championship decider at Kilmarnock.
Cove comeback or Rangers relegation woes?
Toyosi Olusanya's first Lichties goal was a crucial one! 💥#cinchChamp | @ArbroathFC pic.twitter.com/JWGuwV5KGD
— SPFL (@spfl) February 20, 2023
Cove have won just once and lost 22 goals in the eight opening games of Paul Hartley’s second spell at the club.
They also face a tricky March with a home game against Championship-chasing Dundee followed by trips to Queen’s Park, Raith Rovers and Ayr United.
So while floodlight Fridays could go a long way towards determining Arbroath’s fate, Cove’s ability to manage their travel sickness will be crucial.
Cove currently have the worst away record in the Championship, winning once and losing seven times in 12 games.
By contrast, Arbroath are sixth in the away table – with crucial wins at Morton (twice) and Dundee.
Only Dundee have lost fewer times on the road than Arbroath.
Arbroath, Cove and Hamilton’s ten game run-in
A revised fixture list of our final 10 games of the season.
C'mon the Lichties pic.twitter.com/K9yP1pRS4I
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) March 1, 2023
With just three points separating the bottom three, the final ten games will be crucial in the Championship survival race.
Here are Arbroath, Cove and Hamilton’s remaining fixtures:
Arbroath: Hamilton (a), Morton (h), Queen’s Park (a), Ayr United (h), Dundee (h), Inverness (a), Raith Rovers (a), Cove Rangers (h), Partick Thistle (a), Hamilton (h)
Cove Rangers: Dundee (h), Queen’s Park (a), Raith Rovers (a), Ayr United (a), Partick Thistle (h), Hamilton (a), Inverness (h), Arbroath (a), Dundee (a), Morton (h)
Hamilton: Arbroath (h), Ayr United (h), Dundee (a), Raith Rovers (a), Cove Rangers (h), Morton TBC (a), Queen’s Park (a), Partick Thistle (h), Inverness (h), Arbroath (a)
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