Arbroath secured their spot in the Premiership Play-Offs after a win against Raith Rovers brought a three-game losing streak to an end.
Jacob MacIntyre’s opener on the stroke of half time was no more than they deserved, and Findlay Marshall made sure of the points late on. Kai Montagu added a late consolation for Rovers, but Arbroath held on for a 2-1 victory to confirm that top four spot with two games to play.
Last weekend’s defeat to Ayr United made it three defeats in a row and prompted three changes to the starting lineup, as Ryan Flynn, Jacob MacIntyre and Gavin Reilly returned.
The home side began brightly at Gayfield, with three attempts inside the opening seven minutes. Reilly saw the first of those blocked before Scott Stewart’s low effort was well kept out by Josh Rae low to his left. Craig Watson also then went close from a corner with a clever flick that dropped just past the post.
It was the visitors however, that went closest in the opening half an hour when former Lichtie Jack Hamilton got on the end of a deep cross to divert the ball back across goal and off the far post, before Arbroath cleared the danger.
Just as the first half looked destined to end goalless, Arbroath moved in front. MacIntyre picked the ball up in midfield and drove strongly towards the box before drilling the ball inside the far post from the edge of the area.
It was the hosts on top after the break as well, with Rae forced into saves either side of the hour mark by Ryan Dow and Reilly. Dow took aim again soon after that second effort, with his shot this time deflecting behind for a corner.
Raith had a great chance to equalise when Jai Rowe found space in the box, but last ditch defending from Jack Wilkie did enough to take the force out of the shot and leave an easy catch for Aidan McAdams.
A powerful strike from MacIntyre was well saved as Arbroath went in search of a second, but the points soon looked certain to be staying in Angus as, seven minutes from time, the Lichties made it two.
Marshall chased down another delayed clearance from Rae, leaving him with the simplest task of slotting the ball into the empty net.
Rovers didn’t let up though and made for a nervy end to the game as they pulled one back ahead of stoppage time. Wilkie’s swiped clearance allowed Richard Chin to burst into the box on the left before squaring for the unmarked Montagu to tap in from point blank range, but the Kirkcaldy side couldn’t find an equaliser as the Lichties claimed a massive three points.
Arbroath: McAdams; Stewart, Watson, O’Brien, Wilkie; Cochrane, Flynn; MacIntyre, Marshall, Dow; Reilly (Robinson, 79)
Raith Rovers: Rae; Rowe, Fordyce, O’Connor (Hanlon, 57), Stevenson; Matthews (Montagu, 77), Nsio (Brown, 57); Mullin (Chin, 57), Vaughan, Easton; Hamilton (Winter, 65)
Attendance: 2,044
