Arbroath’s survival hopes took a massive dent as a late Morgyn Neill strike secured a win for Cove Rangers.
Neill netted an 87th minute winner for Cove to move them to within three points of Lichties and make it a nervy final two games for Arbroath.
Arbroath are now also just three ahead of Hamilton before the sides meet on the final day.
Arbroath v Cove Rangers: Key moments
This was always going to be a nervy affair.
Cove travelled to Arbroath knowing a win would move them to within three points of the hosts and close the gap on Hamilton.
Victory for Arbroath and there were no ifs or buts, Championship survival was secured.
And the hosts, with the wind at their back, had the early pressure.
Scott Stewart’s 15-yard strike only parried by Scott Fox.
Ryan Dow then showed great trickery to attempt to fool Fox with a rabona strike that skidded wide.
Dow then missed from 15 yards and Hilson raced onto a long through ball only for his header to evade Fox before bouncing agonisingly over.
Arbroath had the ball in the net just before half-time with David Gold stabbing it over the line.
But referee Matthew MacDermid ruled it out for a foul on Fox.
The second half descended into a midfield battle with the wind ruining the game.
However, Neill’s header gave the visitors a crucial win.
Arbroath player ratings
Arbroath vs Cove Rangers – Team News
Arbroath make one change as João Baldé comes in for Dylan Tait and welcome back Paul Komolafe and Scott Bitsindou to the bench but Sean Adarkwa misses out.
C'mon the Lichties pic.twitter.com/X1gztVQxiG
— Arbroath FC (@ArbroathFC) April 22, 2023
Arbroath: Gaston 7, Banks 7, Hetherington 7, Little 7, O’Brien 7, Balde 6 (Allan 2), Gold 7 (Tait 4), McKenna 6, Dow 6 (Linn 6), Hilson 7, Stewart 8. Subs: Gill, Jacobs, Linn, Komolafe, Olusanya, El-Mhanni, Bitsindou.
Arbroath star man
Scott Stewart was a real livewire for Arbroath on the right side and wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line for the cause.
Manager under the microscope
Dick Campbell has refused to buckle under the pressure of a relegation battle.
If anything, he’s thrived.
He’s also been honest enough to admit failings when it comes to recruitment.
And, perhaps more crucially, he has taken real steps towards addressing recruitment failings.
Backed by the board and by the new head of recruitment Barry Sellars, Campbell shipped out eight players and signed eight replacements in January.
But this late loss means there is still work to be done to secure automatic survival.
What does this mean for Arbroath’s Championship survival?
This was a big chance to secure their place in the Championship.
And while they’re still in the driving seat and a win in either of their final two games would keep them up.
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