A CONCISE POST WAR HISTORY OF THE RED LICHTIES 1947-8

Rab Quinn was one of manager Archie Anderson most influential acquisitions. When the 24 year-old Celtic midfield player signed for Arbroath in December 1947 he joined a club that was in deep trouble. Once again the spectre of relegation threatened a Lichties side which had made a disasterous start to the B Division season. Only two wins were registered from the opening 15 league games while the League Cup report card was equally dismal with the Maroons finishing bottom of their qualifying section after losing five of the six games played. Anderson was under pressure and needed someone to spark some life into a lacklustre squad - and Quinn’s arrival seemed to do just that. In five seasons at Parkhead the red-headed Ayrshire man had made just nine top team appearances, scoring a solitary goal in a League Cup tie against Third Lanark. He was, however, keen to show that he could more than hold his own if given the chance of regular first team football.

Quinn made a sensational debut against Dumbarton on 13th December, scoring a memorable hat-trick in a 3-3 draw at Boghead. That result seemed to inspire the team and the following week Dunfermline were beaten 2-1 at Gayfield. A 3-0 defeat at Hamilton followed, but the Lichties then hit a rich vein of form, winning five league games in a row, scoring 18 goals and conceding just four. Highlight of this great run was a 6-0 thrashing of Dundee United at Gayfield. Quinn was again on the scoresheet with a double, while Mackay, McEwan, Hill and a Jardine own goal completed the scoring. The Tannadice team was unflatteringly described in the Herald as “an ill-sorted, unbalanced, unenterprising lot who were no match at all for a Gayfield combine which revealed poise and penetration.”

Arbroath’s goal-scoring spree continued with a 9-1 thrashing of non-league Babcock and Wilcox in the first round of the Scottish Cup. Spirits were high and thoughts turned once again to the prospect of emulating the previous season’s glorious run to the semi finals. Reality set in, however, when Hibs crushed the Lichties 4-0 in the second round tie at Easter Road at the beginning of February.

The Cup exit seemed to have a demoralising effect as Arbroath’s great mid season form deserted them and only four points were picked up in the final eight league games. Fortunately that was good enough to avoid the dreaded drop into C Division obscurity as Arbroath scraped their way to fourth bottom position in the league of fifteen. Just eight points separated eight teams at the foot of the table, Leith Athletic losing out in the scramble for safety.

The Lichties reserve team finished 8th in C Division – a competition featuring a number of clubs who had been excluded from the “proper” league, plus a collection of reserve sides. There was promotion and relegation between the C and B Divisions, although reserve teams could not move up. East Stirling won the title that season.

P Pts

East Fife 30 53

Albion Rovers 30 42

Hamilton A 30 40

Raith Rovers 30 34

Cowdenbeath 30 32

Kilmarnock 30 30

Dunfermline A 30 29

Stirling Albion 30 28

St Johnstone 30 27

Ayr Utd 30 27

Dumbarton 30 25

Alloa 30 24*

Arbroath 30 23

Stenhousemuir 30 23

Dundee Utd 30 22

Leith Athletic 30 19