Arbroath vs Brechin

Arbroath were ahead inside eight minutes. A corner into the box was met by Stuart Morrison, who got the decisive touch to make it 1-0, as confirmed by Brechin City's official X account.

Five minutes later, the lead doubled. Flynn intercepted a loose back-pass from the Brechin goalkeeper and slotted home — a moment the Arbroath Facebook page described as "Flynn pinches the ball from a poor pass back from the keeper."

The third arrived in the 21st minute. Thomas O'Brien, the Arbroath captain, got on the scoresheet to make it 3-0, a lead the home side carried comfortably into the interval.

Brechin showed more purpose after the restart. Mitch Taylor — who had signed permanently for City earlier in the summer — reduced the deficit, though the exact minute was not publicly confirmed by either club at the time of writing.

Any hope of a comeback was extinguished in the 89th minute. Returning midfielder Michael McKenna played a pass to Scott Robinson at the edge of the box, and Robinson chipped the ball past the goalkeeper off the post to restore Arbroath's three-goal cushion.

The third goal in the 21st minute effectively ended the contest as a competitive fixture. Brechin had barely settled when O'Brien's strike made it 3-0, forcing the visitors to chase the game for over 70 minutes. The halftime scoreline of 3-0 — confirmed by the official match data provider — reflected a thoroughly dominant first-half display.

Stuart Morrison opened the scoring from a set piece, a traditional strength for Arbroath sides, and anchored a defence that conceded only once.

Thomas O'Brien scored and marshalled the back line as captain, a performance consistent with his standing as a key figure in the squad.

Michael McKenna — playing his first minutes back at Gayfield since returning to the club — set up Robinson's late goal and drew a warm reception from the home support. In his post-match interview with Arbroath FC TV, McKenna said: "I've got so many amazing feelings and memories as soon as I come here. It's a team that's never sort of left my mind and my heart since I left."

Scott Robinson, a recent signing from Hamilton Academical, scored his first goal for the club with a composed finish.

Arbroath led 3-0 at halftime, meaning 75% of the damage was done in the opening 45 minutes. The second-half period was more balanced, with Brechin getting a foothold through Taylor's goal. Across five meetings since 2018 between these Angus sides, the average is 3.2 goals per game, and 80% have seen both teams score. Arbroath remain unbeaten in the fixture (three wins, two draws).

This was the first of Arbroath's pre-season friendlies ahead of the 2026/27 campaign. The focus now shifts to competitive action in the Premier Sports Cup group stage, with Spartans visiting Gayfield next. As McKenna noted: "Spartans are a really good side, they're probably a League One quality side. That'll be a really tough match."

For Brechin, this was an early test against a higher-division opponent as they build towards the new Highland League season.

A sharp Arbroath first-half display decided this friendly inside 21 minutes. The Lichties' set-piece threat and pressing intensity were too much for Brechin in the opening period. With McKenna back in the squad and Robinson opening his account, the signs are encouraging. Brechin will take encouragement from a more competitive second half and Taylor's goal, but the gap in class was evident early on.