Five games into the Championship season and there is plenty for Arbroath supporters to like about what they have seen so far.
The Lichties have picked up eight points from their opening five league matches, putting them fourth in the table at this early stage. Perhaps more encouragingly, since losing at Ayr United on the opening day, Arbroath have gone four Championship games unbeaten.
Nobody at Gayfield will be getting carried away after five matches, but it has been a solid start. So, what has been working for Arbroath?
The season could certainly have started better. Arbroath travelled to Ayr United on August 1 and returned home after a 2-0 defeat.
But one poor afternoon has not been allowed to define the opening weeks.
A goalless draw with Inverness Caledonian Thistle followed at Gayfield before Arbroath recorded their first league victory of the season, beating Greenock Morton 2-1 away from home.
They followed that with a 1-0 victory over Livingston at Gayfield and then earned a 1-1 draw with Dunfermline.
After five games, Arbroath’s Championship record stands at two wins, two draws and one defeat, with eight points collected.
More importantly, there has already been evidence that this is a side capable of responding when things do not go their way.
Arbroath haven’t needed to blow teams away to collect points.
Instead, keeping games tight has served them well.
They shut out Inverness and Livingston, while Morton and Dunfermline scored only once apiece. The opening-day defeat at Ayr remains the only Championship match this season in which Arbroath have conceded more than one goal.
For a club with ambitions of competing towards the right end of the Championship table, that is a useful habit to develop.
The 1-0 win against Livingston summed it up particularly well. Arbroath got themselves in front and made sure one goal was enough to take all three points.
There will inevitably be matches when things are less comfortable, but the early evidence suggests Arbroath are becoming a frustrating side to play against.
There is also some useful context to this start.
Arbroath finished third in the Championship in 2025/26, collecting 52 points from 36 games and earning a place in the Premiership promotion play-offs before eventually losing to Dunfermline.
In other words, being towards the top end of this division isn’t entirely unfamiliar territory.
There is continuity in the dugout too, with Colin Hamilton and David Gold having moved from interim charge into permanent co-player-manager roles.
The squad also retains plenty of experience through players such as Thomas O’Brien, Scott Stewart, Michael McKenna, Ryan Flynn and Scott Robinson, alongside Gavin Reilly and Andy Winter.
That combination of familiarity and experience could prove important over a long Championship campaign.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Arbroath’s eight-point return is that there is still room for improvement.
Four goals from five Championship matches is hardly prolific, and finding a few more goals would certainly make life easier. But there is another way of looking at it: Arbroath are already fourth despite not yet hitting top gear in front of goal.
If they can maintain their defensive discipline while adding a little more cutting edge at the other end, there is every reason for supporters to be interested in how this campaign develops.
Turning some of the tighter draws into victories could make a considerable difference over 36 matches.
The fixture list should provide a little more evidence soon.
Arbroath travel to Raith Rovers on September 12 before another away match against Stenhousemuir on September 19. Both are above the Lichties in the table at this stage, making them interesting early-season tests.
They are also the sort of fixtures that will attract plenty of attention beyond Gayfield, including among supporters following live sports betting markets, as everyone gets a clearer picture of how the Championship field is shaping up.
For Arbroath, though, the objective is much simpler: keep collecting points.
Five matches cannot tell us how an entire Championship season will unfold, but Arbroath have given themselves a useful platform.
They have recovered well from defeat on the opening day, won both at Gayfield and on the road, and shown that they can grind out results in tight matches.
And unlike a surprise package appearing from nowhere, the Lichties entered this campaign having already finished third last season.
The goals will hopefully come more freely as the season develops. If they do, while Arbroath retain the resilience and defensive solidity they have shown so far, there could be plenty to enjoy at Gayfield over the months ahead.
