Bobby Linn rolled back the years to turn in a masterclass and help Arbroath secure Championship football for a fifth season.
Linn was outstanding for almost 90 minutes as he left the field to a standing ovation from the home fans in their 0-0 draw with Hamilton.
Lichties confirmed their place in Scottish football’s second tier for another year with that result.
Linn accepts they can do much better.
But the talisman winger still firmly believes survival is a big achievement for Arbroath.
“We realise that we haven’t hit the heights or standards that this club hits,” said Linn, who has been offered a new deal by Arbroath.
“But if you look over the years at clubs like Falkirk and Dunfermline who have had bad seasons in this league.
“They’ve paid the price for those bad season.
“We’ve managed to stay in the league and that counts for something for me.
“There’s a hard working group in there. We’ve had some tough days and have had to pick ourselves up and go again.
“Last week was tough but we had to get up, go to our work and think about the game.
“At part-time level it’s difficult to stay in this league but we’ve found a way to do it. Everyone connected with the club deserves massive credit for that.”
Bobby Linn shone on first start in 2023
Meanwhile, Linn enjoyed his first start since December.
And he thanked Arbroath boss Dick Campbell for giving him an early heads-up on his selection.
Speaking to Arbroath TV, Linn added: “The gaffer phoned me on Tuesday and I was on my break at work.
“It was nice of him to give me the heads up that I’d be starting.
“I haven’t played from the start for a while so it gave me a chance to prepare myself.
“I applied myself the best way and I tried to make things happen. You can see how much I wanted to score out there!”
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