Hearts: Focus on Championship rivals Arbroath - key men, Dick Campbell, stadium by the sea

Hearts head to Angus on Friday evening for the televised Championship clash with Arbroath.

Dick Campbell will lead his Arbroath team out against Hearts. Picture: SNS

It is 40 years since these sides last met in league business. The encounter came in the old First Division which the Edinburgh men went on to win 1-0 on their way to the league title, captained by club legend Jim Jefferies.

In the intervening period there has just been a few friendlies and a meeting in the League Cup at Tynecastle Park during Robbie Neilson’s first spell as Hearts boss, the home side winning 4-2.

So what can Hearts fans expect from the part-timers?

Playing style

Arbroath are not your archetypal lower league team. Yes, manager Dick Campbell opts for a 4-4-2 system but their style of play is easy on the eye.

The Red Lichties’ defence is brilliant and is protected by Miko Virtanen and Gavin Swankie who provide a platform for the two wingers to get up the pitch with two strikers to aim for, including Luke Donnelly who can be a handful for teams with his awkwardness.

Not only that, but the wingers are often supported by the full-backs who are encouraged to get forward.

Gayfield is one of the best venues in Scottish football. Picture: SNS

With possibly two key men missing from the defence it is unlikely Arbroath will play as open as they would normally, especially against Hearts.

Key man

Fortunately for Hearts, Arbroath’s key man is out of the match. Centre-back Thomas O’Brien was shown a late red card in last weekend’s defeat to Raith Rovers meaning he will miss the match.

The 29-year-old’s reliability and proactive defending will be a huge miss.

Elsewhere, Arbroath have Aberdeen midfielder Miko Virtanen in the midfield. The 21-year-old Finn is an impressive presence and is astute at breaking up play.

In Bobby Linn, they have a diminutive forward who scored 21 goals in the club’s League One winning campaign two seasons ago. He came off the bench against the Rovers but is capable of providing those match-winning moments.

Manager

Dick Campbell needs little introduction. The bunnet, the choice language, the stories. He is a colourful character within Scottish football.

Arbroath is his seventh club in a managerial career spanning more than 1,300 games and 33 years, which includes spells at Partick Thistle, Dunfermline Athletic and Ross County.

Some would view Campbell as old school. Something which he doesn’t necessarily subscribe to.

"I’m a better manager than I have ever been in my life,” he told A View from the Terrace. “You think of the semi finalists in the last World Cup and all the managers are over 55.

"Every time someone talks to me and says ‘aye, he is an old heid ‘ and this, that and the next thing. Are you trying to tell me that all the young boys know something that we don’t?”

He added: “My philosophy is very simple, we live and we die together.”

The stadium

Gayfield is one of Scotland’s finest stadiums. An away day fans will be missing out on this season with its welcoming pubs and hospitality.

Perched on the North Sea – and beside Pleasureland – wind and waves are familiar acquaintances. The former has the power to completely alter a game.

The ground itself is a wonderful lower league location. Three sides of terracing, swapping ends at half-time and a maroon-clad Main Stand.

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