MO OUT-FOXED BY SMOKIES

By Gary McKenzie
November 6 2005

Scottish Football League Division Three, Saturday 5 MOvember 2005, Gayfield Park, Arbroath. ARBROATH 2 (Dobbins (71), Clark (84))MONTROSE 1 (Fotheringham (4)). After going ahead early on, the world fell in on the Mo as Arbroath snatched all the points in a late rally.

Henry Hall kept faith with most of the team which has done well recently. Elliot Smith was back at left back, with Donachie at right, which meant no starting spot for Kerr Dodds. Paul Doyle took over Kegsy's central midfield role as the veteran's out with a fractired arm

Montrose mad ethe dream start in four minutes. A direct free kick right on the edge of the box was expertly curled round the wall and past Peat's despairing fingertips into the top right hand corner by FOTHERINGHAM.

At this point in the match, Arbroath looked a mere shadow of the team we faced at Links Park in August. Their forays up the park were few and far between, and, although they had the ball in the net on 28 minutes, it was knocked off for offside.

The game was niggly and often caught up in the middle of the park. Arbroath's Brazil found himself in the book on 35 minutes after a late chalenge on Donachie.

After the break Montrose went close in 49 minutes when McKenzie just got his head to a freekick floated in to the box, but couldn't direct it to goal.

Arbroath were coming on to their game, though amd Reid collected a high ball which he then fumbled and the defence had to hack it away.

Martin replaced Fraser, who almost put Arbroath in with a misplaced pass seconds earlier, on 59 minutes.

Millar replaced Jackson for the Smokies in 65 minutes.

Doyle was booked for a trip in 69 minutes.

The home side finally got what their dominance of the second half deserved when in 71 minutes DOBBINS stooped to head home from close range.

Fotheringham had been guilty of a foul in the middle of the park. The referee showed him the yellow card, Foxy protested and was shown a second yellow and red.

The sky was falling in on the Mo and Smith was the net blue shirt in the referee's book.

With 10 minutes left on the clock, Dodds came on for Hall.

In 84 minutes, the Arbroath comeback was complete when CLARK pounced on a weak defensive header out and drove home for the winner.

Roddy Black replaced Jay Stein with 2 minutes to go, but the job was done by then.

This is a hugely disappointing result after going ahead so early on. Arbroath looked poor in the first half, but were a different side in the second. It looked like we were trying to protect 1-0 for the rest of the game, never a good strategy.

Teams

Arbroath

Peat, McMullen, Watson, Rennie, Dobbins, McCulloch, Cook, Jackson, Brazil, Clark, Stein

Subs: Millar, Black, Bishop, Warren, Inglis

Montrose

Reid, Donachie, Elliot Smith, McKenzie, Stephen, Doyle, Webster, Fotheringham, Henslee, Fraser, Hall

Subs: Martin, Dodds, Cargill, McLean, Butter