Press & Journal

Arbroath manager Weir looking to bring in some new faces in bid to stay in division

Neale Cooper heaped praise on new signing Barry Wilson after the veteran winger played a key role in Peterhead's dismantling of 10-man Arbroath at Gayfield on Saturday.

The former Caley Thistle stalwart was directly involved in three of the Blue Toon's four goals and his energetic performance belied the fact that he'll be celebrating his 38th birthday next month.  Cooper said: “I thought Barry Wilson was different class. His delivery at set pieces is excellent and he did very well. He'll be a great help for our younger players. He has such great composure and experience. David Ross, Nicky Clark and Jonathan Crawford also did well.”

The Blue Toon opened the scoring after 11 minutes, David Ross knocking home a Wilson corner after the home defence failed to clear.  Arbroath hit back instantly, however, with trialist David Winters bundling the ball home from close range after a Steven Hislop effort had been cleared off the line.

But disaster struck the Lichties on the 20th minute when Ewan Moyes was shown a red card for blocking a netbound shot from Ross. Wilson calmly struck the resultant penalty beyond the reach of Darren Hill.

There was a touch of confusion about the lead up to Peterhead's third goal. Referee Matt Northcroft awarded the visitors a free kick 25 yards out after originally appearing to wave play on.  Arbroath protested to no avail and when the dust settled Wilson stepped forward to send a beautifully flighted ball into the box for Martin Bavidge to head powerfully beyond Hill.

Nicky Clark completed the scoring shortly after the interval, heading home a Ross corner.The result maintained Arbroath's dismal home record, the Lichties having failed to win at Gayfield since mid-August.

Manager Jim Weir said: “We have to stop losing goals so easily if we want to stay in this division, as that is now our priority.

“To be fair we have had a few injuries and haven't been able to field a settled team. We also allowed a defender to leave last week and the squad is probably a bit light at the moment. We've got a few guys in on loan deals and as trialists, but I'll be aiming to get some new faces in soon."

Sunday Mail

PETERHEAD manager Neale Cooper saluted new signing Barry Wilson as the Blue Toon gave Arbroath a lesson in finishing.  The former Inverness winger created two and scored from the spot as his side ran riot.  Cooper said: "Barry was different class - his delivery and quality were on show."

Wilson's 11th-minute corner was converted by David Ross before David Winters stabbed home an equaliser.  But it was downhill for Arbroath after Ewan Moyes saw red for handball in the box and Wilson tucked away a 20th-minute spot-kick.

Next Wilson's free-kick teed up a free header for Martin Bavidge to make it 3-1 before Nicky Clark wrapped up the points with a diving header.

Arbroath boss Jim Weir raged: "There were one or two strange decisions but I'm not going to blame the ref after losing four goals at home."