Arbroath FC’s Scottish Cup heroics left the seaside town in dreamland at the weekend.
The Second Division side travelled to Glasgow and Saturday and came away with a famous 1-1 draw against Celtic, the recent conquerors of Barcelona.
The 850-strong away support returned from Glasgow on Saturday night, with many joining in the celebrations in the town’s pubs.
The party continued long into the night and fans are now dreaming of finishing the job when Celtic come to Gayfield for the replay on December 12.
Councillor Ewan Smith said the Red Lichties’ draw was a fantastic achievement and one of the biggest results in Scottish Cup history.
Despite going behind in the first half, the team battled back and Steven Doris was the hero with a late equaliser.
Now Mr Smith is hoping the replay will give the town a shot in the arm and has urged Sky TV to boost the club’s coffers further by covering the match.
”I think it’s fantastic for the town as a whole,” he said. ”It’s a great achievement by Arbroath. I know a lot of people who work there and there is an enormous amount of hard work that goes on behind the scenes.
“They run the club really well and have created a family atmosphere which is incredibly welcoming,” added Mr Smith. “People are incredibly proud of their town and when things like this happen it puts everyone on a real high.
“The fact they have got a second chance is even better and it’s an opportunity for the town to promote itself as well. There will be a big crowd for the replay which will benefit local businesses and I really hope Sky will decide to show the game live.”
Mr Smith added: “We also can’t underplay the achievements of Paul Sheerin since he took the Arbroath job. He will go down in the history books. (Chairman) John Christison must also be praised for the way he runs the club. He lives and breathes Arbroath FC.”
The chairman said: “I’m still shell-shocked, to be honest. It’s probably the best day in our history.”
Mr Christison has also urged Sky or the BBC to cover the Gayfield replay.For further coverage of Saturday’s big game, see Monday’s Courier