Dick Campbell hopes to repay Arbroath fans for their loyalty by rewarding them with the gift of Championship survival.
Arbroath will clinch a fifth successive season in the Championship if they beat bottom side Cove Rangers at Gayfield on Saturday.
The Angus side are expecting another big crowd with their average attendances now close to being the fourth-highest in the league at 2,100.
And Campbell believes their unwavering backing of the fans has been pivotal to his side’s turnaround in fortunes.
Campbell has also praised the board for their financial backing by allowing him to replace eight players in January.
Lichties have lost just three of 14 games since 2023 and are four points clear of second-bottom Hamilton.
“The biggest gift we can give our fans this season is survival,” added Campbell, who is currently the longest-serving manager in Scottish football.
“No part-time club has ever stayed for four consecutive years in this league and now we are going for five.
“It’s not over the line yet. We still have work to do and Cove will come to Gayfield fighting for their lives.
“But the fact that we have an opportunity to secure our place in the league is fantastic.
“I cannot stress enough how important the loyalty and backing from the fans and our board has been this season.
Dick Campbell says Arbroath away support only bettered by Dundee
“At times this year, it would have been easy for our fans to turn on me or the team. They’ve never done that.
“They’ve continued to pack into home games and to travel in big numbers. Only Dundee have had a bigger away support at most games than us.
“The board have also backed me to the hilt.
“They backed us in the summer and, as soon as we realised it wasn’t working, they backed us against in January.
“The fans have done their job. The board have done theirs. Let’s see if we can now complete it by getting over the line to stay in this league.”
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