2008 - a rollercoaster year for the club

Expect the unexpected - new Arbroath motto.

2007 ended with a glorious and deserved away win at New Bayview against the runaway league leaders and, amid high expectations, the next week we crashed to earth at the hands of a humiliating 5-0 defeat at Links Park - this traumatised the fans and replaced the home defeat to Spartans as the worst moment of being a Lichtie. Don't worry - there will be plenty more such events ahead if you stay the course

Our 2007-08 season never really got going, the team seemingly never recovering from the disappointment at the end of the previous season. Home form continued to be dire - we won more away- and goals were at a premium. Thanks mainly to other competitors whose form was even worse than ours we limped into a playoff spot in April with 52 points - the lowest ever.

..and then came a series of 4 games when we suddenly found a purpose again. What seemed a mediorce team upped their game against Cowden in the playoff semis and Stranaer in the final. The game at Central Park, whn we turned it around when seemingly heading out, and the jubilant scenes at Stair Park became the stuff of legend

Tipped as one of the hot favourites for relegation we started the next 2008-09 season well with wins over Alloa and Stirling (in the cup) and a creditable draw against Peterhead. Then the downswing - a run of 13 games (inc cup) without a win and broken by only 3 draws. Depression and fatalism had sunk in...

... until that amazing 4 win streak in November-December which lifted us from relegation certainties to only 4 points off the playoffs. Normal service has since been resumed with the two end of year defeats. the mutterings about the need for a change of manager were quietened

Expectations among fans are not that high but we've plenty to look forward to second half of the season.

Onwards and upwards... maybe both at the same time