Arbroath ran out surprisingly easy winners of League One. Their success was down to the consistency of their players, a strong mental attitude and terrific fortune with regards their selection – there was very rarely a week when manager Dick Campbell had to do without more than one starter, and in the first half of the season particularly they were blessed with being able to name their strongest squad on a weekly basis.
It was at the start of the campaign that they made their advantage count. A long undefeated run at the beginning of the season allowed them to get the hop on their rivals. Much of this owed to the quality out wide of Bobby Linn, who finished the campaign as their top scorer with 21 goals. Otherwise, it was a strong team effort, though the contribution of Ryan Wallace both to his side’s build up play and in terms of goal scoring was perhaps undervalued by the staff of the club as they sought to bring in reinforcements in January.
Around this time, they started to get a little confused with regards their team selection and their form subsequently dipped. In midfield, it was Gavin Swankie they built around. He was excellent in the first half of the campaign but was another to fade later in the season. A bunch of versatile players, such as Mark Whatley and David Gold, were expert at blocking any gaps when selection concerns did arise, while the defence was redoubtable throughout the season and unsurprisingly finished as the league’s best. Tom O’Brien was their leader in that regard.
Looking forward, Arbroath are going to have to improve both the quality and depth of their playing pool, but that promises to be complicated. January signings Luke Donnelly and Greig Spence have not worked out, and it may well be that they need to get these players off their books to allow others to come in. Nevertheless, Campbell is a wily enough manager to allow them to be competitive a league up.
